Springfield Business Journal_2020-12-14

Manufacturers: Low jobless rate a positive, challenge by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net The local unemployment rate is at its low- est point of the year – 3% in October for the Springfield metropolitan statistical area. That stat was a hot topic among manu- facturing executives during a Dec. 3 Spring- field Area Chamber of Commerce event. “There is a lot of positives going on in our area,” said Bill Hammitt, president and chief operating officer of AmProd Holdings LLC, during a Manufacturing Outlook pan- el discussion. “We’re hiring and I see signs of other people hiring.”  Hammitt said he learned of the new unemployment numbers just prior to ap- pearing at the chamber event, which was livestreamed this year due to COVID-19 safety precautions. The Springfield MSA’s rate, though still above the 2.4% mark reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics a year prior, has dropped every month since peaking at 9.2% in April amid the coronavirus pan- demic. The unemployment rate was 3.4% in September. Two other local manufacturers in hiring mode are SMC Packaging Group and SRC Heartland Labs awaits state approval for marijuana-infused products Buffalo-based company expects to begin manufacturing this month by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net A Buffalo-based company is on the verge of being among the first in Missouri to man- ufacture cannabis-infused products, as its leadership expects to open later this month.  Heartland Enterprises LLC, dba Heart- land Labs, applied Nov. 30 for its com- mencement inspection with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said Maddi Pearcy, director of operations.  “They have 30 days from the date we request com- mencement to come and finish their inspection,” she said. Upon approval, the family- run venture at 1794 S. Ash St. will follow close on the heels of infused-product manu- facturer Clovr. The Kansas City-based company earlier this month became the first company to receive state approval to begin manufacturing products such as marijuana- infused gummies, concentrates, vape pens and edibles.  Heartland Labs employs sev- en in its 6,000-square-foot metal frame building a mile south of Buffalo. Hayden Pearcy is Mad- di’s brother and the facility’s lab director, while their father, Mike Pearcy, is managing partner. Construction of the produc- tion facility by Lebanon-based Helton Metal Buildings LLC stretched a couple months be- yond the originally planned September completion, Maddi Pearcy said, citing the pandemic as a contrib- utor. The Pearcys declined to disclose startup costs.  “COVID-19 has thrown several wrenches in those gears, but we have made it,” she said.  The company will start production as soon as the state gives the go-ahead, Maddi Pearcy said, adding they expect to have product on dispensary shelves within a week or two thereafter.   On tap The line of products at Heartland Labs will include edibles, such as chocolate bars, cookies, cannabis-infused hon- ey in partnership with Everton- based Wild Ozarks Honey LLC and three flavors of gummies: strawberry, orange and black cherry. Vape cartridges and capsules also are on tap, the or- ganizers say.  The company will wait to pro- duce cannabis concentrates, such as tinctures and capsules, until more cultivation facilities are open. As of press time, only 11 cultivation sites in the state have been approved, accord- ing to DHSS data. $2.00 · SBJ.NET DEC. 14-20, 2020 · VOL. 41, NO. 21 See MANUFACTURERS on page 10 See MARIJUANA on page 11 MCKENZIE ROBINSON ON THE CUSP Siblings Maddi, left, and Hayden Pearcy of Heartland Labs plan to have infused products ready for dispensaries a week or two after getting the go-ahead from the state. John Lopez is delaying opening an Ozark dispensary until more product is available. PRESENTED BY 2021 EDITION INSIDE