Springfield Business Journal_2020-08-03

The Challenge is great but brighter days are ahead Technology Focused. Service Driven. (417) 831-7077 info@PittTechnologyGroup.com Our sleeves are rolled up and ready to help you write YOUR Come Back Story. Our sleeves are rolled up and ready to help you write YOUR come back story. The challenge is great, but brighter days are ahead. 18 · SBJ.NET AUG. 3-9, 2020 FROM THE COVER months of the year, he was focused on ad- dressing workforce development and infra- structure issues – two key areas of emphasis for his administration.  “Needless to say, when COVID-19 hit Mis- souri in March, everything changed,” he said.  In recovery Unemployment in Missouri rose to 10.1% in May, seasonally adjusted, from 3.2% in February, just before the pandemic impacted the economy. However, Parson said Missouri bounced back in June, as the jobless rate dropped to 7.9%. The U.S. unemployment rate was 11.1% in June, according to the U.S. Bu- reau of Labor Statistics. He said the state gained over 71,000 jobs in June. “For May and June combined, Missouri recovered approximately one-third of the jobs lost in March and April,” he said. “Missouri’s economy is recovering.” Parson cited several recent economic development wins for the state – and two are projects in Marshfield. An $8 million expansion of Armstrong World Industries Inc. will add 130 jobs, and a $4.9 million investment in the Tyler Pipe Co. plant will bring on another 75 jobs.  Parson also touted the Show Me Strong Recovery Plan, announced in April to gradu- ally reopen the state’s economy, following a temporary shutdown in response to COV- ID-19’s spread.  One of the pillars was rapidly expanding testing capacity, which he said has grown to 90,000 tests per week from around 4,000 weekly in March.  “Knowing what we know now, we are much better prepared to deal with COVID-19 going forward,” Parson said. Christina Angle, chief financial officer of Springfield Underground parent company Erlen Group, was among those viewing the virtual event. She said reopening the econo- my was vital, and she supports Parson leav- ing those decisions in the hands of individual communities.  “It’s a diverse state in terms of popula- tion density, and types of problems that each community is dealing with,” she said. “He is interested in meeting people to share best practices and best information, but not dic- tating it as a one-size-fits-all solution.” Shortened session COVID-19 concerns also considerably shortened the 2020 legislative session. How- ever, legislators in May passed a roughly $35.3 billion fiscal 2021 budget. Parson slashed close to $450 million from the bud- get, which administration officials said was necessary to balance it. Most of the cuts were to education and social services.  “The legislative session looked very differ- ent this year. However, there were still sev- eral pieces of legislation passed,” he said House Bill 1768 extended the expiration of the Missouri Broadband Grant Program by six years to 2027. The legislature appropri- ated $5 million for the program in 2019, with the state Department of Economic Develop- ment awarding over $3 million in grants for fiscal 2020. “The digital divide in rural Mis- souri prohibits growth in many sectors of our economy,” Parson said.  Broadband is a topic that caught the atten- tion of Brian Hammons, president of Stock- ton-based black walnut processor Hammons Products Co., who watched the livestreamed event.  “We’re in a rural county, Cedar County, and we also connect a lot with small busi- nesses in a lot of counties in Missouri and other areas, too,” he said. “The importance of broadband is made even bigger with COVID and the needs for people to connect.” ‘Not anti-mask’ As businesses continue to work remotely and schools prepare to go back in session this month, statewide COVID-19 numbers con- tinue to rise. As of July 29, confirmed cases of the virus in Missouri tallied 46,750 – up 9.6% over the past week, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reported July 29 the lo- cal county’s confirmed cases reached 1,128.  In southwest Missouri, Springfield, Joplin and Branson have mandated masks in pub- lic places. Parson said he has no intention of issuing a statewide order like governors in over 30 states. “The local levels should be taking it upon themselves,” he said, “to go out and regulate it. They know what’s best for their commu- nities. “I’m not anti-mask. ... I’m anti-mandates. I just don’t think it’s the right way to go.” State: Parson won’t issue statewide mask mandate Continued from page 1