Springfield Business Journal_2019-10-14

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 25 OCT 14-20, 2019 Advertising Karen Shannon VP Business Consulting/CHRO THE NEW OVERTIME RULE Q: When does the new overtime rule take effect? A: To be exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employees must be paid at least $35,568 and meet certain job duties tests. If they are paid less or do not meet the duties test, they must be paid 1 ½ times their regular hourly rate for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a workweek.The new rate takes effect January 1, 2020. Karen.Shannon@ollisaa.com 417-881-8333 To be recognized as an expert in your industry call 417.831.3238 John Akers VP - Benefits Ollis/Akers/Arney FOCUS AREAS FOR BENEFIT RENEWAL PLANS Q : I’ve made my benefits renewal decisions for 2020. Is there anything else I should do? A: Yes. Now is the time to work with your trusted benefits advisor to finalize and implement your plan for the coming year. Your plan should address Five Key Areas of focus: Data/Benchmarking | Communication | Enrollment | Compliance | Technology. It should be written with specific timelines and clarity on who is responsible to help accomplish your goals. Now is the time to engage on your next renewal. Do you have a plan? John.Akers@ollisaa.com Nicole Piper, Director of One Stop for Early Childhood CREATING A SAFE SPEAK WORK ENVIRONMENT Q: How can business owners foster an environment of caring in the workplace? A: Have open communications with your staff. Make sure they understand that they are safe and can speak freely with no fear of judgment or retribution. Let people come to work and be themselves. That goes a long way to keeping your employees loyal and they will, in turn, help keep customers loyal. Brett Baker Owner Sandler Training SELLING OR TELLING Q: Have you ever talked yourself out of a sale? A: During any given sales meeting, the prospect should be mostly talking and the salesperson mostly listening. Typically, however, the opposite occurs. The salesperson gets excited to share all the features and benefits of their product and forgets to ask compelling questions. Ask yourself, “Am I selling or telling?” Selling involves listening. Sandler Rule #14: A Prospect Who Is Listening is No Prospect At All. trustpoint.sandler.com How safe are the things you’ve built? Call for a free consultation: 417‑868‑8200 NEWS BRIEF Shrimp shack concept to close by Christine Temple · ctemple@sbj.net After eight years serving traditional Louisiana fare in Springfield, Shrimp and Bayou Classics owner Chris Crow said he is closing the res- taurant Oct. 20. He said it’s bit- tersweet. “I worked so hard to get this thing going,” Crow said. “I can’t stand the winters here. I need to go back to Louisiana.” But for the res- taurant’s follow- ers, pushing 5,300 on Facebook, Crow said he hopes this isn’t the end for the eatery. He’s put the concept, simi- lar to a food truck, up for sale at roughly $15,000. Crow said he’s had some serious interest, but no buyers. The business operates at 3245 W. Re- public Road out of what Crow calls a “shrimp shack,” serving gumbo, etouffee, jambalaya and po’boys. “It scares people because it is pure Loui- siana,” he said with a laugh. “But I just had to get them here once and they’re hooked.” If a buyer is secured, Crow would recommend the new owner move to a brick-and-mortar location to keep up with the demand and grow the business. He es- timates with a physical change, sales could double to roughly $500,000 a year. “It is a little gold mine for someone who knows what they’re doing,” he said. “The hardest thing with the restaurant is build- ing the clientele. That’s already there.” Crow said his land lease is up in No- vember, and if he doesn’t have a buyer by then, he’ll auction off equipment next month. Crow said he’d offer his services as a seafood buyer to the new owners. Cur- rently, he drives to Louisiana every two weeks to source his ingredients. According to Greene County assessor re- cords, the property was purchased in De- cember 2018 by Copley Holdings LLC with a listed note amount of $225,250. Missouri secretary of state records show the owner of the LLC as Richard James Copley. Cop- ley Holdings officials declined to disclose details of the purchase.  Chris Crow estimates sales could double to $500,000 with a brick-and-mortar spot. $15K Asking price for Shrimp and Bayou Classics