Springfield Business Journal_2021-05-10

2021 budget is $350,000. “To have that realized for each of our respective organizations – speaking for Ozark Green- ways, it’s tremendous.” Vote of confidence Brent Stock, who became James River Basin Partner- ship’s executive director in late 2019, said the funding fell into the nonprofit’s lap. The donation is more than double its $240,000 operating budget, which funds two full-time employees, one part-time administrative assistant and two contract workers. “This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” he said. “Obviously, we’re a small nonprofit and will take any support we can get. Every dollar really matters for us.” The partnership, founded in 1997, is responsible for leading water quality protection and ad- vocacy efforts for the James River watershed, an area in southwest Missouri comprising nearly 1 mil- lion acres of land, according to its website. “Adding this is huge and will allow us to potentially support a portion of a full-time position,” Stock said of the new funds, not- ing designated uses aren’t finalized. Officials with the other three nonprofits also said fund utilization is currently under consideration. Jessica Pearson, executive director of TrailSpring, said the 501(c)(3) agency founded by Matt O’Reilly is volunteer driven and has had no full-time employees since its 2012 inception. Pearson is one of TrailSpring’s two contracted workers. She declined to disclose its current budget. It was $239,000 in 2018, according to the organization’s latest Form 990 on file with the IRS. Pearson said she was elated about the donation for Trail- Spring, whose mission is to im- prove the health and activity level of the Springfield area with mul- tiuse trails. It focuses on moun- tain bike trails, which also are utilized by runners, hikers and birdwatchers. One of its past proj- ects is Two Rivers Bike Park, a 15- mile mountain biking complex in Highlandville. It currently is working on Dirt 66, a $1.8 million, 33-mile multiuse trail system in north Springfield surrounding Fel- lows Lake. Pearson said the project, which started in fall 2020, is expected to take around two years to complete. “It’s a tremendous vote of confidence that the donor rec- ognized the value of our organization to our community,” she said. Available funding CFO officials said in a news release the donor’s interest in conservation, the outdoors and the environment was a reason the four organizations were selected for the endow- ments. All four are among CFO’s more than 600 nonprofit partners across the region. The nonprofits have the option to use the funding or continue to save it, said Mike Kromrey, execu- tive director of Watershed Com- mittee of the Ozarks. He said the compounding interest of the en- dowment will allow the annual amount available to the nonprofits to increase. “It’s like a game-changing level of a gift,” he said. “Now that we have access to capital and interest money coming in, it’s really reshaping how we’re thinking about our mission and what we can do.” Watershed Committee of the Ozarks has a seven-person staff and annual budget of roughly $700,000, he said. Its mission is to sustain and improve the water resources of Springfield and Greene County through education and ef- fective management of the region’s watersheds, according to its website. Stock said instant access to a portion of the money could help fund a project or capital campaign. “But the best investment we can make as a nonprofit is to contribute to that endowment,” he said. Mary Kromrey said the funds for the three-employee Ozark Greenways could allow it to contract strategically with landowners or organizations to help move its exist- ing trail projects faster. The money also could be used as matches for grants to spur new trail developments. “That’s really exciting to know we have an influx of funds and then it’s determining the best way to use them,” she said. “We’re not going to rush into anything but we’re not going to sit on it forever either.” Nonprofits: Agencies chosen for focus on outdoors Continued from page 1 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 33 MAY 10-16, 2021 FROM THE COVER NEWS BRIEF EXECUTIVE MARKETPLACE RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION at SBJ.net or by calling 417-831-3238 Welcome to phase 6 of beautiful Kelby Creek. 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He joins the city from Iowa’s Dubuque Community Schools, for which he’s served as director of equity. “I am honored to accept the offer and excited about working in a community in which I experienced an authentic and gen- uine hospitality when I visited,” Suleyman said in the release. “I am looking forward to being part of the community dialogue and advancing the conversation inside the city of Springfield organization.” In his new position, Suleyman will over- see the municipality’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including the devel- opment and implementation of strategies and education programs throughout the organization. City spokesperson Cora Scott said Suleyman would be part of City Manager Jason Gage’s office and that his hir- ing would not result in the creation of a new department. “This is not intended to be a position that dives in and solves all our diversity and inclusion challenges in our community,” Gage said in the release. “However, this position will give the municipality the ability to strengthen our collaboration with communitywide organizations in concert with the city departments that already work in this space.” Suleyman, who moved to the United States as a refugee from Lebanon 21 years ago, also has experi- ence as equity outreach coordinator for the city of Dubuque, Iowa. The son of a Sudanese father and Saudi Arabian mother, Suleyman has a bachelor’s in international relations from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and a master’s in intercultural rela- tions from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. His annual salary at the city of Springfield will be $112,500, according to the release. Taj Suleyman joins the city from Dubuque Community Schools in Iowa . Springfield hires diversity leader Mike Kromrey: : The gift is at a “game- changing level.” Jessica Pearson A $1.8 million bike park is in the works. Brent Stock Money could help jumpstart a project or capital campaign.