Springfield Business Journal_2021-01-25

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 JAN 25-31, 2021 NEWS IN THIS ISSUE Franchisees bring a home improvement supply wholesale concept to the Queen City. PAGE 5 Rebuilding diesel fuel pumps and injectors is a million-dollar business at Northeast Diesel Servi ce. PAGE 6 Vol. 41 No. 27 Donnie Brawner says the new year is the right time to move from defense to o ffense in your business. OPINION PAGE 25 Call your donor, tell your story. They will respond . You don’t have to have a gala.” —Emily Givens of Lost & Found Grief Center, on returning to fundraising basics amid the pandemic PAGE 13 QUOTE OF THE WEEK by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net As the tourism industry struggles through the coronavirus pandemic, a new Branson leader said he’s ready for the challenge. Jason Outman, president and CEO of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Com- merce & Convention and Visitors Bureau, started his new role Jan. 19. He arrived from South Carolina, where he’s served the past six years as executive director of destination marketing organization Experience Colum- bia SC. Outman is tasked with leading the 25-em- ployee organization that had a $13 million budget in 2020. He replaces Jeff Seifried, who served in the Branson chamber leader- ship role for five years before leaving in July to become president and CEO of Connell Insurance Inc. Mary Kellogg, board chairperson of the Branson chamber & CVB, said Outman was selected out of six finalists narrowed from 60 applicants. “Before the interview process, because I had not been here, my wife and I felt it was our duty to jump on a plane to come and visit and spend some time in the market so that we knew what Branson had to offer,” Outman said. “What really turned me on to Branson is first, you can’t overlook the beauty of the area. … When I had the op- portunity to interview with the board, it just Branson chamber CEO arrives amid tourism challenges provided by BRANSON/LAKES AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU CHAMBER CHIEF Jason Outman begins his tenure this month as president and CEO for the Branson chamber and CVB. led me to talk to them about their desire for Branson to grow and increase visitation and put it higher on the map than it already exists.” Facing challenges While Branson reached an all-time high of 9.1 million visi- tors in 2019, the pan- demic undoubtedly will produce substantially lower numbers when final 2020 data is reported next month, said Lynn Berry, the chamber’s communica- tions director. She said visitor numbers are released quarterly, noting estimates through late October put it just over 5 million – a drop of roughly 32%. Year-over-year tax revenue for the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhance- ment District also is down con- siderably. Through November – the most recent month avail- able – revenue is off 20% from 2019, when the 1% sales tax gen- erated $8.9 million, Berry said. Visitor and tax revenue pro- jections, as well as the organiza- tion’s budget for 2021, remain a fluid situation and likely will stay that way until spring or early summer, she said. “In 2020, there was nothing that was going to follow a projection,” Berry said of tax revenue after the pandemic hit in March. “We projected it being down 50% [in 2020] when we first started dealing with this. “We’re unsure of how the vaccine rollout will be and the number of people who will avail themselves of getting a vaccine,” she said. “A lot of what is still out Lynn Berry: Visitor numbers will remain fluid for much of the year. Jason Outman looks to boost visitor numbers under budget constraints 20% 2020 tax revenue drop in the Branson/ Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District See BRANSON on page 8