Springfield Business Journal_2021-04-12

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 APRIL 12-18, 2021 NEWS IN THIS ISSUE An event venue has set up shop in downtown Ash Grove. PAGE 5 Nixa-based Xtreme Exteriors is coming off the best year of financial growth in its 20-year history. PAGE 6 Vol. 41 No. 38 SBJ Publisher Jennifer Jackson calls on business leaders to share insights and forecasts through the 2021 Econ omic Growth Survey. OPINION PAGE 23 One of the big things about being on ‘Shark Tank’ is validity .” —Mike Sewell of StepNpull, on the Springfield company pitching to investors on the ABC show PAGE 27 QUOTE OF THE WEEK Bass Pro’s giving boosts company, nonprofit visibility Council approves step toward reducing COVID-19 regulations by Emily Cole · ecole@sbj.net From The Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign at Christ- mas to Give Ozarks Day in March, Bass Pro Shops’ familiar green bass logo has been noticeably on display in support of nonprofits in the Ozarks over the last year. That visibility hasn’t been pushed by a big jump in donation or spon- sorship dollars, but by a strategic brand move. Sarah Hough, senior manager of community affairs and diversity outreach for the company, said in recent years Bass Pro has taken a more intentional approach to their sponsorship and giving. “We’ve always been really in- volved in conservation efforts lo- cally, but we’ve also started to be strategic at (the Morris family’s) direction in how we’re in- vesting in community solutions,” Hough said. “The dollar amounts really haven’t changed, it’s just how we’ve contin- ued to grow partnerships with our local nonprofits.” Most recently, Bass Pro Shops was a presenting sponsor of Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ Give Ozarks Day on March 24. The fundraiser returned after a several-year pause beginning in 2017 and raised more than $718,000 for area nonprofits in 12 hours. Jack Wlezien, director of communications for Bass Pro, said the company may not have been a presenting sponsor for an event like Give Ozarks in the past. “Because we’re less concerned about getting the credit and more concerned about the impact,” Wlezien said. “But what we’ve heard from our nonprofit partners is having the by Emily Cole · ecole@sbj.net Springfield City Council voted to dial back COVID-19 re- strictions starting April 16 – specifically occupancy restric- tions in public spaces and at large group events. At its April 5 meeting, council approved an ordinance extending current public health and safety recommendations that were set to expire April 9 until April 16. On that date, the regulations will shift into the yellow phase previously outlined by the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. The Road to Recovery yellow phase requires masking and rec- ommends physical distancing but removes most occupancy restrictions and allows mass gatherings of under 500 people, with larger gatherings al- lowed at 50% capacity. In order to enter the yellow phase, the Health Department set thresholds of less than 40 new cases per day, under 50 hospitalizations in COVID-19 isolation and a vaccination rate of 25% of the eligible population. As of April 8, the daily case count for Greene County was 20 and hospitalizations was at 22 patients. The vac- cination rate was 20.87%, according to Health Department data. “While we’ve not yet met our yellow vacci- nation goal of 25% fully vaccinated, there are many signs that are pointing us towards prog- ress,” said Katie Towns, acting director of the Health Department. As of April 7, 33% of Greene County residents over age 16 were partially vaccinated and awaiting second doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. To continue raising the vac- cine rate, the Health Department hosted an April 8-9 mass vaccination event. All Missourians became eligible for the vaccine on April 9. Officials were prepared to vaccinate 10,000 people at the event with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only re- quires one dose. As of press time, Health Department offi- cials said just over 4,000 people were registered for the event to be held at Missouri State University’s Ham- mons Student Center. Towns said Health Department officials feel confident enough in Springfield’s progress toward the 25% vaccination rate to recommend beginning the yellow phase on April 16. But Towns said variants of the disease are a concern for department officials. On April 2, the Missouri Depart- ment of Health and Senior Services confirmed a Greene County resident had tested positive for the U.K. variant of COVID-19, which has a higher level of transmission and is known to be more severe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Craig McCoy, president of Mercy Spring- field Communities, and Steve Edwards, presi- dent and CEO of CoxHealth, spoke to council in favor of moving forward with the Road to Recovery based on current levels of cases and hospitalizations. At his presentation to council, McCoy said Mercy currently had seven hospitalized CO- VID-19 patients with just one in intensive care and had distributed 37,000 vaccines. Edwards said CoxHealth, which once had a peak of 170 COVID-19 patients, was down to around 16 with only three in intensive care, and had dis- tributed 70,000 doses of the vaccine. Edwards echoed Towns in expressing concerns about the COVID-19 variants coming to the area and said continuing Sarah Hough : The pandemic opened up more opportunity to contribute locally. See COUNCIL on page 21 C I T Y B E AT from the April 5 City Council Meeting • Council approves the city’s purchase of a downtown property as part of Jordan Creek daylighting efforts. • Conditional use permit approved for northwest Springfield sports complex. Full City Council coverage is at SBJ.net/citybeat Katie Towns: Health officials are confident in Springfield’s vaccination progress. See GIVING on page 29