Springfield Business Journal_2019-02-25

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Rance Loftsgard, a serial entrepre- neur with experience in apparel, sales consulting and the non- profit and restaurant in- dustries, is opening Able Coffee & Provisions. Loftsgard said he ex- pects to launch the coffee shop by March 15 at 3049 S. Fremont Ave. in the Fre- mont Center. The site is the previous home of Free Solo Coffee Co., which recently closed after less than a year in business. “Coffee is a huge passion of mine,” Loftsgard said. “It has this kind of homogenizing quality to it.” Loftsgard said he gained an appre- ciation for coffee while living in Indo- nesia working on tsunami relief efforts. With strict alcohol laws, he said juice bars and coffee shops were popular meeting spots in the country. “I fell in love with the idea of con- necting with people,” he said. After moving back to the states, Lofts- gard became involved with Elixr Coffee Roasters, in Philadelphia. He remained close with the ownership of the com- pany after exiting, and now, Able Coffee & Provisions will sell coffee from Elixr. Loftsgard said Elixr is becoming more known in the “third wave of coffee” movement, an initiative to produce high-quality, artisanal beverages. Elixr works with farmers across the globe to source coffee in direct-trade relation- ships. “It’s part of my narrative and part of my story, but it’s also some of the best coffee in the world,” he said. Loftsgard said he’ll make bread in- house for a seasonal rotation of sand- wiches to complement coffee at the shop, a nod to previous entrepreneurial experience. He was a finalist in a contest dubbed A Gentleman’s Call, run by Ke- tel One and GQ, for his entrepreneurial idea to open artisanal bakeries in im- poverished areas. Loftsgard’s also been featured in Vice and Entrepreneur. “I vicariously learned a lot about bread,” he said. “Any food I do is going to be made from scratch.” Able Coffee’s menu will comprise single-origin, hand-poured coffees, he said. Working with Elixr, he hopes to expand the third wave of coffee move- ment to the Queen City. “I think there’s still another level on the national stage that we haven’t really gotten to,” he said. “We deserve the best.” At the Fremont Center, Loftsgard said he signed a three-year lease with landlord Tillman Redevelopment for $2,500 per month to occupy 1,600 square feet behind the former Heri- tage Cafeteria. He expects to invest $15,000-$20,000 in the venture with minority partner Chris Rozier, who has hospitality experience via O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC. The name Able Coffee & Provisions also is a play on Loftsgard’s various en- trepreneurial endeavors. “Able is this idea in my head of the enduring American entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. “No matter how many times we fall down, we’re able to give it another go.” Rance Loftsgard: Springfield deserves inclusion in third wave of coffee. Greene County wages 12th fastest-growing in US by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Greene County’s third-quarter 2018 wages grew more quickly than the other major counties in Missouri and the majority of the United States, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With a 6.1 percent increase compared with the same quarter of 2017, Greene County ranked 12th nationwide by percent change. The BLS examined 349 of the largest U.S. counties for its quarterly wage report, according to a news release. However, Greene’s average weekly wages in the third quarter were lower than the other six top coun- ties in Missouri. During the three-month period, Greene County’s average weekly wage was $829. Below are the counties, by wages, then wage- growth rank nationwide, in the third quarter: • City of St. Louis, which also is a county, $1,118, No. 59; • County of St. Louis, $1,083, No. 141; • Jackson, $1,045, No. 241; • Clay, $904, No. 17; • Boone, $837, No. 259; • St. Charles, $834, No. 128; and • Greene, $829, No. 12. The U.S. average weekly wage rose 3.3 percent to $1,055 in the third quarter, according to the release. Future wage reports are likely to be impacted by Missouri’s minimum wage hike, which began to be phased in on Jan. 1 after voters approved it in No- vember 2018. New concept will feature single-origin coffee and sandwiches with made-from-scratch bread