Springfield Business Journal_2020-06-15

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 31 JUNE 15-21, 2020 L I F E T I M E A C H I E V E M E N T I N B U S I N E S S H a ro l d B e n g s c h BUSINESS ADVOCATE Leadership Springfield PHILANTHROPIC BUSINESS BKD LLP COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT CHAMPION Pam Yancey, Arvest Bank ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Trent Freeman, Pure & Clean LLC CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION The Kitchen Inc. 1-7 YEARS Loehr Chiropractic and Acupuncture LLC Neighbors Mill Bakery & Cafe Pitt Technology Group LLC 8-15 YEARS Mostly Serious LLC OMG Commerce Phoenix Home Care and Hospice 16-29 YEARS Environmental Works Inc. Oasis Hotel & Convention Center Toth & Associates Inc. 30-74 YEARS Citizens Memorial Hospital JMark Business Solutions Inc. Penmac Staffing Services Inc. 75+ YEARS CoxHealth Ollis/Akers/Arney Paul Mueller Co. E V E N T I N F O R M AT I O N AT S B J . N E T/ E I A SARAH WALTERS, 34 Assistant Professor, Evangel University S arah Walters has helped put Evangel University on the map for pro- spective students. By age 28, Walters created the university’s first health care program for athletic training. The Evangel assistant professor says the program gained its accredita- tion, though the odds were against her. “As a young professional, there comes a point where you have to be willing to take the risks and walk the road no one is willing to consider to make a difference,” she says. Walters also expanded the reach of the school’s master’s of organizational leader- ship program into an online offering for students in the United States and abroad. In her free time, Walters is involved in Ozarks Teen Challenge and Convoy of Hope. What was your first job? A plant nursery starting at age 12. What is your best productivity hack? Do not check your email until you’ve been at work at least two hours or completed five things on your to-do list, whichever comes first. What did you learn the hard way? That hard work pays off, but you have to be balanced. Have you ever met a celebrity? My side profile was in an episode of “Monk” in 2004, so I met Tony Shalhoub. It was a total coincidence that I happened to be eating in the same restaurant they were filming in. I had to sign a release for them to use the left side of my body. —Kathryn Hardison, Reporter ELIZABETH WENTE, 38 Partner, Spencer Fane LLP S pencer Fane LLP partner Elizabeth Wente has dedicated time to work- ing on both the firmwide Women in Business Leadership Committee and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Serving as chair on the women’s leader- ship committee, she organized quarterly meetings for the members, a business de- velopment panel and a workshop on how to improve their networking efforts. Through the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, she is working to help attor- neys, staff and individuals with different life experiences fully integrate within the firm. She also previously served on the Child Advocacy Center board for six years and on its executive board for two years. What is your proudest moment? Having my kids, Leo and Ella Ann. What was your professional aha moment? After several years of litigating employ- ment matters, I realized that I might actu- ally be able to put my skills to use helping employers avoid litigation. This changed my whole practice and allows me to serve more as an adviser to my clients. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Make your business/practice work for your life and not your life work for your business/practice. I work early in the mornings, remotely from my home and at strange hours. This type of flexibil- ity works for me as I’m balancing a full- time job and a family. It often also benefits my clients because employee issues don’t happen only between 8 and 5! —Karen Bliss, Contributing Writer JESSICA ROSA