Springfield Business Journal_2021-03-29

WeDames rebrands, relaunches amid pandemic Council adopts thresholds to phase out COVID-19 rules by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net The owner of a nearly 9-month-old business networking startup is making lemonade out of lemons after shutting down her former venture amid the coro- navirus pandemic. Jana Moreno, founder and sole employ- ee of We&Co, said she started the busi- ness in July 2020 as a response to a lack of activity with WeDames LLC, her fe- male-focused event company. WeDames hosted roughly 30 events annually since launching in 2016, she said, but the pan- demic brought public gather- ings to a screeching halt. “During quarantine, I had the time to sit down and do the pros and cons of busi- ness networking and was re- ally able to see what we could do that would be different from traditional business net- working out there,” she said. “That’s why we launched in July and have been growing ever since.” While Moreno said her professional pivot to business networking from niche events was made out of necessity, she ad- mits WeDames was financially stagnat- ing. She originally organized events for women during part of her decade living in Malaysia, beginning in 2006. However, it wasn’t successfully translating as a busi- ness in Springfield. “It wasn’t losing any money, but it wasn’t making any money,” she said, de- clining to disclose revenue. “We were predominantly events. We had ladies-on- ly events once a quarter, business mixers, happy hours, patio parties.” Emphasizing small Newly formed We&Co emphasizes small groups over large gath- erings, as members network in huddles of five-10 people of any gender and industry. The twice-monthly meetings last an hour and can be virtual or in-person, Moreno said. The huddle members set their meeting schedules. Partici- pants must meet certain key performance indicators, such as attendance requirements and business referrals each month. “There is a networking as- pect, and we do still have our events,” she said. “But when you’re meeting up twice a month for exactly an hour, you’re getting to work.” Basic membership is $250 per year, which allows attendance to members-only See REBRAND on page 24 Jana Moreno projects first-year revenue could surpass $40,000 this summer. Health Department officials say the next level of indicators may be met by mid-April by Emily Cole · ecole@sbj.net Springfield City Council on March 22 unanimously approved a resolution set- ting three key indicators as the thresholds of the COVID-19 Road to Recovery plan. Established by the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, the indica- tors will be used to determine when pub- lic health and safety regulations can be stepped down. They are Greene County’s daily new case count, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and the percentage of the eligible population that has been fully vaccinated. Katie Towns, acting Health Depart- ment director, said the indicators will be evaluated over a 28-day period, or two in- cubation cycles of the virus. The city currently is operating under Phase 3C of the Road to Recovery Plan, which maintains restrictions, such as masking, and limits occupancy in public areas to 50% to allow for physical dis- tancing. The next threshold requires a 25% vac- cination rate, under 40 new cases per day and less than 50 hospital patients in CO- VID-19 isolation per day. In that phase, most occupancy re- strictions would be removed, and physi- cal distancing would be recommended, but masking would still be required. Mass gatherings under 500 would be allowed with masking and distancing recommended, while gatherings of over 500 would be allowed at 50% capacity. Towns said the city could move for- ward to the next phase if two of the three conditions are met, as long as the third threshold shows significant progress, as determined by the Health Department. On March 22, Towns said Health De- partment officials anticipated meeting the 28-day period of low cases per day and hospitalization numbers by March 24. As of March 24, the new daily case number was 20, and 37 patients were hospitalized, according to Health Department data. Just over 12% of the eligible population See COUNCIL on page 20 C I T Y B E AT from the March 22 City Council meeting • Council adopts Grant Avenue Parkway development in city’s comprehensive plan. • One-time changes to City Utilities’ natural gas fees are approved. • Former Price Cutter on Grand Street is rezoned. Full City Council coverage is at SBJ.net/citybeat Newly formed We&Co focuses on business networking and sets 100-member goal by summer SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 MARCH 29 -APRIL 4, 2021 NEWS IN THIS ISSUE Springfield’s downtown art scene expands with a new gallery on Walnut Street. PAGE 5 A new storefront allows for an expanded product line at Prairie Pie. PAGE 6 Vol. 41 No. 36 Editor Eric Olson digs into the low number of bankruptcies filed during a tumultuous economic environment. OPINION PAGE 23 Who thought we weren’t going to have a game?” —Kyle Moats, of Missouri State University, on a shift to digital engagement of fans and sponsors after sports seasons were canceled in 2020 PAGE 11 QUOTE OF THE WEEK