MARCH 20-26, 2023 · VOL. 43, NO. 35 YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY SINCE 1980 $2.50 · SBJ.NET Marshfield, Nixa look to address public safety with tax measures by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Most overnight visitors to Springfield have paid a lodging tax in hotels, motels and tourist courts ever since a 2% occupancy tax was approved by voters in 1979. With two increases, approved in 1998 and 2004, the tax rate is now 5%, but visitors opting for stays in short-term rentals, like Airbnb and Vrbo, have been exempt. Voters in Springfield will face a trio of ballot questions from the city in the April 4 election, and their approval of Question 3 would apply the 5% tax to all lodging, including short-term rentals. City Manager Jason Gage said the revenue would be used to promote tourism to the city. “Our best estimate to date suggests that application of the hotel sales tax to shortterm rentals would result in approximately $365,000 the first year,” Gage said. Tracy Kimberlin, who retired in 2022 as president of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau Inc., told Springfield City Council that the city has around 400 short-term rentals with the capacity of 1,000 hotel rooms. He said they are legitimate and necessary accommodations that the city needs. The existing 5% lodging tax brings in about $6.5 million a year, according to David Holtmann, Springfield’s finance director, in a report to council. He added that half of that, 2.5%, will roll off in June 2028 when debt on Jordan Valley Park projects is retired. If voters were to approve Question 3, the 5% lodging tax will become permanent and would be freed up for new uses. The tax would increase funding to support the arts and cultural tourism, Gage said, noting the Springfield Regional Arts Council Inc. currently leads these efforts. The ballot measure specifies that 4.5% of the tax proceeds be used to support arts and culture. Another 4.5% would be used to attract and host sporting events, an effort currently led by the Springfield Sports Commission, Gage said. The measure calls for 47% of tax funds to be used to promote travel and tourism to the city. The balance of the generated funds would pay debt service for existing bonds purchased under the prior hotel tax, including previous improvements along the Jordan Valley Park corridor. “When those bonds are paid in full, that portion of the new tax can be used to fund tourism-related capital improvement projects and facilities,” Gage said. The city is not actively considering any new projects to See ISSUES on page 27 See SAFETY on page 26 Jason Gage: Lodging tax would pay for tourism-related capital improvements. Natalie McNish: Tax passage could increase police budget over $2 million. Both cities want to add police officers and upgrade facilities Applying lodging tax to short-term rentals one of a trio of issues to be decided by city voters ELECTION 2023 Springfield issue would fund arts, sports, tourism $365K Projected revenue from taxing short-term rentals by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Public safety is the focus for proposed sales tax increases in Marshfield and Nixa that will appear before voters on April 4. Each city has its Police Department targeted as the beneficiary for revenue produced by the tax hike, as leaders from both communities cite a need to boost the law enforcement workforce. City officials say more police officers are needed to patrol the growing cities, adding general revenue is insufficient to properly address department needs. Marshfield is seeking a 1/2-cent sales tax increase, while Nixa’s proposal is for a 3/4-cent boost. Marshfield City officials in Marshfield want a sales tax hike to cover officer recruitment and retention, investment in new equipment and training, and renovation of the Police Department building, which it shares with the Street Department and Municipal Court. If approved, roughly $800,000 in new revenue is expected to be generated annually by the 1/2-cent tax increase, which Mayor Natalie McNish said can be used only for public safety purposes. “Increasing our public safety has been a main priority of mine,” said McNish, who was first elected as mayor in 2020. Marshfield’s population is 7,540, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s up nearly 14% from the 2010 Census. Police Chief Doug Fannen said he came to the city roughly 20 years ago, noting the population was around 4,600 at that time. The Police Department HEATHER MOSLEY
MARCH 20-26, 2023 2 · SBJ.NET NEWS From corner stores to professional firms, The Bank of Missouri is a partner you can count on. As a local, community bank, we work closely with you to understand your priorities. We bring the financial expertise, so you can focus on what you do best. Get started at BANKOFMISSOURI.COM. LIVE WELL. BANK WELL. BUILDING BUSINESS THE BANK OF
MARCH 20-26, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 NEWS CONTENTS the state Farm Bureau questions a new ruling on U.S. waterways. page 11 Agribusiness Open for Business A rentable photo studio with various backgrounds and props opens downtown. page 4 Business Spotlight A Springfield nonprofit is caring for the ‘invisible wounds’ of military veterans around the world. page 6 Opinion Page Executive Editor Christine Temple talks with an MSU professor about the art of arguing. page 21 Candidate Q&A Springfield City Council candidates answer questions on public safety and developer and neighborhood relations. page 24 Arena football league selects Springfield for first team by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net A new indoor football league is set to begin play next year with the Queen City chosen to host its first team. Officials with The Arena League held a news conference at Corwin Automotive Group on March 9 to announce Springfield’s selection as one of four teams that will debut for its inaugural season beginning June 2024. Springfield’s yet-to-be named team will play an eight-game regular season schedule with home games at the $25 million Wilson Logistics Arena, currently under construction at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. NFL Hall of Famer and NCAA Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown is commissioner of The Arena League, which announced last month that Springfield was among 10 finalists to join the venture. The league is running a vote on its website to determine the remaining team locations. Three additional teams are expected to be announced in the coming months. “This city is excited about Arena League coming here. They’re excited about football, and how can you not be excited about football in this area?” Brown said at the news conference, referencing the Kansas City Chiefs as a “professional team playing incredible football right now.” League adviser Tommy Benizio said after the news conference that Springfield has received roughly 2,500 votes while most of the other cities’ vote totals were averaging 700-800. “It became clear that Springfield was a great place to start with our first team,” said Benizio, who also is president and CEO of Dallas-based consulting company Benizio Sports. He said J.R. Bond, a political adviser in Kansas City with past arena football team ownership, leads a small group of people financing the league, noting the others are silent investors. None of the owners have Springfield roots, he said, adding investment costs were undisclosed. “The Arena League is launching as what we refer to in our industry as a single entity. All the teams will be owned and operated by the league,” he said. “In every city we are committing to three-year leases, so we’re prepared to make sure that this is successfully run for three years.” Other finalist cities for an Arena League team, in alphabetical order, are: Dubuque, Iowa; Duluth, Minnesota; Kansas City; Little Rock, Arkansas; Oklahoma City; Rochester, Minnesota; Rockford, Illinois; Waterloo, Iowa; and Wichita Falls, Texas. “It was just a matter of picking a region and trying to find a handful of cities that were close enough together that this makes a lot of sense in terms of travel for the teams,” Benizio said, noting he visited Springfield three times in recent weeks. While in town, he said he met with officials such as Aaron Owen, CEO of the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds and Event Center, and Vicki Pratt, senior vice president of economic development with the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, to learn more about the city and pitch the league. “We could have made phone calls to save time and money, but to do this correctly I really felt like I needed to be on-site and meet people to get a feeling to their reaction of what we want to do,” he said. “Collectively, that gave us a picture that this community might work better than others.” In the Arena Owen, who previously was general manager at the fairgrounds – a title now held by his son, Casey – said construction for the 99,000-square-foot arena “is going awesome,” noting all concrete work should be complete in the first week of April and steel is already on-site. The fairgrounds broke ground in November on the building that plans to also serve as a youth agriculture education center. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds is serving as its own general contractor for the project designed by BRP Architects. Killian Construction Co. is the HEATHER MOSLEY ARENA ACTIVITY Aaron Owen is CEO of the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, where the $25 million Wilson Logistics Arena – future home of a Springfield arena football team – is under construction. See ARENA on page 29 Tommy Benizio: Team name is expected to be announced in May. Squad plans to debut next year at Ozark Empire Fairgrounds’ $25 million arena VOTE
MARCH 20-26, 2023 4 · SBJ.NET NEWS By Mike Cullinan, Reporter New business, new location, new owner? Send your info to newbusiness@sbj.net Urban Studios The Missouri State University Foundation on Feb. 1 became the new owner of event venue The Old Glass Place LLC. The MSU Foundation Board of Trustees gave approval for the $1.75 million purchase of the downtown Springfield space at 521 St. Louis St., said Brent Dunn, the foundation’s executive director. He said Al Miller and Roger Malarkey, the venue’s former owners, donated furniture, fixtures and equipment to the foundation as part of the deal. The venue is managed by 425 Downtown LLC and remains available to the public to rent for banquets, parties, meetings, weddings and other events. 425 Downtown, an events and catering company, operates a venue at 425 W. Walnut St. Dunn said the MSU Foundation gets an undisclosed percentage of proceeds from events booked by 425 Downtown. The Old Glass Place, which opened in 2014, spans 12,000 square feet and has a maximum capacity of 551 people, said MSU spokesperson Nicki Donnelson. The MSU Foundation also owns and operates the school’s Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center. Polk County’s dining scene expanded with the March 7 opening of Flat Creek Bolivar LLC. The restaurant, which also operates in Cape Fair and Republic, launched its $2.8 million Bolivar eatery at 730 E. Aldrich St. Thane Kifer and Drew Kifer of Bolivar-based Pinecone Holdings LLC were lead developers for the restaurant. The building is owned by a consortium of investors and leased to Flat Creek owner-operators Alan Kram and Josh Rasmussen. Rhodes Construction Co. LLC was general contractor for the 8,814-square-foot Bolivar restaurant designed by H Design Group LLC. General Manager Nick Hurshman leads a staff of 85 at the restaurant, according to officials, who also said the company plans to open a fourth Flat Creek in the spring. A late April or early May opening is expected for the 9,500-square-foot restaurant in Webb City. The Bolivar menu mirrors Flat Creek’s other locations and includes catfish, fried chicken, hand-cut steaks and sandwiches. Combination plates range $24-$39. Urban Studios LLC, a natural light photography studio and pop-up event space, opened Jan. 14 at 431 S. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 107, in Wilhoit Plaza. Rafael Vite Fuentes, who co-owns the business with Asantae Haanstad and Miguel Rivera, said they saw a need to provide more options to photographers, freelance content creators and business owners for a studio space with natural lighting in downtown Springfield. Vite declined to disclose startup costs or the threeyear lease rate with Wilhoit Plaza LP. At the 480-square-foot studio, photographers can use backdrops, props, furniture, lights and equipment. Prices range $50-$265 for rental times from 30 minutes to four hours, according to the website. Time bundles for longer rentals also are offered. Aside from Urban Studios, Fuentes is founder of digital marketing agency Primate Digital LLC, for which Rivera also works as its social media manager, according to its website. Haanstad is a photographer for Primate Digital, as well as owner of Asantae Photography. ☎ 417-413-3114 UrbanStudioSGF.com The Old Glass Place Flat Creek Bolivar ☎ 417-501-8035 TheOldGlassPlace.com ☎ 417-326-1190 Facebook.com/FlatCreekRestaurants OPEN FOR BUSINESS APC is the best choice for commercial solar. Exploring commercial solar? APC Solar is your trusted partner throughout the entire process, from site evaluation and feasibility studies to final engineering, installation, and performance reporting. No project is too complex or difficult for us to handle. Trusted by CPA firms and numerous local entrepreneurs! apcsolar.com 888-272-9875 Asantae Haanstad, Rafael Vite Fuentes and Miguel Rivera provided by URBAN STUDIOS LLC
MARCH 20-26, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 5 Send your company’s new hires, promotions, awards and achievements to newsmakers@sbj.net or click “Talk to SBJ” on our homepage. Please include job titles and relevant career and educational experiences. We’ll publish high-resolution color photos attached as space permits. LET US KNOW by Eric Olson · eolson@sbj.net Banking & Finance Central Bank in Springfield hired Mandy Anthes as vice president and director of business banking. She has 19 years of experience in banking and commercial lending and holds a bachelor’s in business management from Missouri State University. Morgan Stanley Ozark Highlands Group advisers Doug Dugal and Michael Koechner were named to the firm’s Century Club of top advisers, and Tisha Trotter made the Pacesetter’s Club for advisers early in their careers. It was the ninth consecutive year for Dugal, a senior vice president, portfolio management director and senior investment management consultant, who has been with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management since 2003 and holds a bachelor’s in business administration from MSU. Koechner, a senior vice president, has been with Morgan Stanley since 2001 and holds a bachelor’s in agriculture economics from MSU. Trotter, a chartered retirement planning counselor, has been with Morgan Stanley since 2019 and holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Missouri Southern State University. Simmons Bank received Forbes’ recognition as one of America’s Best Midsize Employers of 2023. Based on independent surveys by Forbes and Statista Inc., companies with over 1,000 workers are evaluated on employees’ willingness to recommend their employers to friends and family. Law Personal injury and trial attorney Max Blaser joined Johnson, Vorhees & Martucci LLC, specializing in auto collision cases. He’s handled hundreds of cases in Missouri, Oklahoma and federal courts since 2014. Municipal The city of Branson hired Silver Dollar City Public Relations Director Lisa Rau as communications director. She’s worked three decades at the amusement park in Stone County and won awards including international Brass Rings for public relations, a Mid-America Emmy for video storytelling and myriad American Advertising Awards for broadcast advertising campaigns. Nonprofit Life360 Community Services hired Bill Hennessy as executive director of operations. He previously served as vice president of academics at Trinity Bible College & Graduate School. Emily Hertzog was named development director of the Springfield-Greene County Library District, responsible for fundraising campaigns and grants. She previously was director of education and development for the Springfield Regional Arts Council Inc. Utility Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. promoted four employees to vice president positions: Brian Ackermann in portfolio management, Nathan Budreau in plant operations, Chris McGeeney in transmission planning and services, and Sean Wright in construction. Ackermann is responsible for analyzing costs and power generation opportunities, technologies and investments. Budreau, who is relocating to Springfield this summer, is responsible for the management and coordination of coal and gas plant operations systemwide. McGeeney oversees transmission and operations planning, as well as related contracts. Wright manages new generation construction projects across the system. NEWSMAKERS Send announcements to newsmakers@sbj.net Dugal McGeeney Wright Koechner Trotter Budreau Blaser Ackermann Hertzog Hennessy Rau Anthes Give yourself a time raise. Stress-free payroll solutions with the fastest support in the world. apluspayroll.com
MARCH 20-26, 2023 6 · SBJ.NET NEWS BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT HEATHER MOSLEY Kevin Weaver, president/CEO of The Warrior’s Journey, stands amid renovations for the nonprofit’s new headquarters. by Eric Olson · eolson@sbj.net Isolation. Not PTSD, not guilt or shame and not identity issues. Isolation was No. 1 out of the top 12 issues U.S. military veterans said they dealt with as they reintegrated to civilian life – and it became the impetus to start The Warrior’s Journey. The Springfield-based nonprofit in 2015 spearheaded research of 1,000 surveys by the Harvard Business School in conjunction with the Pentagon after identifying a need for soldiers and their families. “They realize – I’ve lost such a huge section with my children, them growing up, or my spouse. And I can never get that back,” says Kevin Weaver, TWJ’s co-founder and president/CEO. The struggle can lead to depression, addiction and suicide, he says. In other words, after leaving field combat, veterans have their own unique combat at home. While much in their native land seems foreign, Weaver says most are confident of one thing: “I know how to shoot bad guys.” Thus, he says they also struggle with identity and confidence in their new role in society. In 2020, the Veterans Affairs Department reported 6,146 veteran suicides - an average of 16.8 per day. That’s where TWJ comes in. Weaver and team created a “warrior to warrior” connection system for veterans to talk confidentially with another veteran, spouse or family member. “The challenge is to connect people with like experiences,” he says. Today, the group has assembled 200 volunteer connectors worldwide. “That’s one of our biggest initiatives, to continue to scale that to meet the need,” Weaver says. Each month, TWJ is making 3,000-4,000 connections of “warriors helping warriors,” he says. “They’ll talk to their battle buddy – somebody who’s been there and done that, that knows what they’re going through,” he says. “The need was much greater than we even anticipated.” Jonathan Garard knows the need as well as anyone. The co-owner of Grooms Office Environments served 15 years in the U.S. Army following the 9/11 attacks. His service involved multiple deployments, including combat in Iraq. “You never experience these things without being somewhat changed. No one can go through those environments and not be The Warrior’s Journey Owners: 501(c)(3) nonprofit Founded: 2016 Address: 3003 E. Chestnut Expressway, Ste. 2001 Phone: 417-567-4800 Web: TheWarriorsJourney.org Email: kweaver@twj.org Services/Products: Veterans’ services for emotional and mental healing through peer connections and resources 2022 Operating Budget: $1.6 million Employees: 12; 4 part time Healing ‘Invisible Wounds’ Springfield-based nonprofit The Warrior’s Journey is caring for military vets internationally affected, some more than others,” Garard says. “We’re all still dealing with different things.” On TWJ’s website, veterans and family members can click the “Let’s Talk” button to begin the peer-to-peer connection. There are also articles, podcasts and video resources searchable by roles (i.e., employer and kids), challenges (post-traumatic stress and financial difficulty) and ethos (selfworth and faith). The TWJ team commits to responding within 24 hours. Officials say the next steps are toward prevention of the identified issues and intervention through resources – TWJ has over 60 partner organizations, including the National Center for Healthy Veterans and Movement Mortgage. Since organizing publicly in 2016, Weaver says TWJ has registered 2 million engagements online, started 53,000 conversations, signed up 15,000 individuals for case management and recorded 1,647 suicide interventions. “As a veteran, understanding what this battle is like and then looking for a place in my own life where I can give back and come alongside other veterans that are struggling and offer a hand, I never let go,” Garard says of his involvement. He learned of TWJ three years ago through its annual golf tournament and now is in his second year as a board member. He says the organization has gained momentum this past year. TWJ has acquired and is renovating a building, the former Central Bank at 3555 N. Glenstone Ave., to serve as its national headquarters. And its annual gala – scheduled April 1 at Oasis Convention Center – is expected to draw 1,000 attendees, Garard says, with special guest Dr. Ben Carson to speak and sponsors including Prime Inc., Reliable Toyota and Legacy Bank & Trust Co. Weaver, a former Air Force law enforcement officer, says the operating budget has followed the momentum curve. TWJ topped a $1 million budget in 2021, coming off the pandemic year that slashed funding by half to $350,000. Last year, the operating budget grew 60% to $1.6 million – and Weaver says the team’s goal is now above $3 million. That includes a newly opened operation in Germany, where he says some 80,000 active-duty members are stationed. TWJ runs a coffeehouse there to help generate funding, Weaver says. One of TWJ’s 12 full-time employees was first on the receiving end of its services. During Blake Leitch’s deployment to Iraq, he was hit by a roadside bomb and took shrapnel to his face, resulting in 50 stitches. He survived, but others he served with did not. The U.S. Department of Defense reports roughly 7,000 military casualties since 2001. “I very clearly remember dealing with, ‘Why didn’t I die? So many other people have died. I deserve to be at the morgue,’” recalls Leitch, in a testimonial video on TWJ’s website. Leitch tells his story of the effects of combat – “I was dead inside,” he says – to learning how to deal with a variety of emotions or none at all. “We need a journey that’s going to help us heal from the inside out,” Leitch says. After getting help from TWJ, he moved his family last year to Springfield to work as the organization’s chief operations officer. “We feel we’re just scratching the surface,” Weaver says of his team. “We want to see more people saved.” •
MARCH 20-26, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 7 by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net The launch of an estimated $260 million, five-year high-speed internet buildout to help connect the service area of White River Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. is expected by late summer or early fall, officials say. The cooperative was awarded nearly $47.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The award was part of $261 million the DED announced in January through the ARPA Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The ARPA funds are expected to create over 55,000 broadband connections in locations of the state that have previously lacked adequate internet access. White River Valley Electric Cooperative plans to conduct seven connection projects in its service territory of Christian, Douglas, Ozark, Stone and Taney counties. The work is through its fiber subsidiary, White River Connect. Beau Jackson, a longtime employee of the cooperative, is White River Connect’s CEO. He said while White River felt good about its grant applications when submitting them for ARPA funding, he didn’t expect such a positive response. “We put in seven applications for seven different areas, and we would have been pleased to get about half of them,” he said. “But getting awarded all seven of them? It proved that we made a case for our area.” State officials agreed when announcing the ARPA grants in a news release. “White River Valley Electric Cooperative did a great job of laying out the why of why this funding was necessary to local communities,” Missouri Department of Economic Development Director of Broadband Development BJ Tanksley said in the release. “There are 400,000 unserved and underserved locations in the state of Missouri. These grants were a down payment for changing broadband access for these Missourians.” White River Connect is in the design and procurement phase of the five-year undertaking, Jackson said. Some of that involves acquiring all the necessary building permits with agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service. The order of where work will progress during the project is also under consideration, but Jackson said the first year’s construction phasing plan will be announced soon. The fiber-optic build is expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, with the first phase of customers being able to access high-speed connections in early 2024. The co-op intends to offer subscribers speeds above 1 gigabit for data uploads and downloads to meet future bandwidth demand. While National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative, engineering firm Toth and Associates Inc. and BBC Electrical Services Inc. are among those working on the project with White River Connect, the company handling the fiber installation is yet to be selected. Jackson said that part of the project is currently out for bid. “By the end of April, we’ll know who our general contractor is,” he said. “At least, that’s what we’re planning.” Meeting a need Cassie Cunningham, the cooperative’s manager of communications and member engagement, said a feasibility study and membership survey were part of research that White River Valley conducted over the past two years to determine the need for rural internet. The study evaluated topics such as area terrain, population density and technology choices. Nearly 8,000 members responded to the survey, with 91% indicating interest in the co-op providing internet services to their areas. Only 13% reported having reliable internet with speeds over 25 megabits per second upload and 3 Mbps download. “That’s dial-up, essentially,” Cunningham said, noting there are a lot of pockets in some of White River Valley’s service area with no internet service at all. Reliable internet connectivity is essential for having access to services such as health NEWS Securities and Advisory services offered through Woodbury Financial Services Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. James Financial Partners LLC and Woodbury Financial Services Inc. are not affiliated. Independent Planning As an independent planning firm, not bound by a large corporation’s agenda, we have the flexibility to offer planning solutions that best match your unique needs. Joe Tonyan and Tyler James www.JamesFinancialPartners.com • 417.829.2257 909 E Republic Rd Building F, Suite 200, Springfield, MO 65807 Who should be recognized with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement in Business? Which companies and individuals should be recognized for the impact made on the local economy? PRESENTED BY Nominate at SBJ.net/EIA NOMINATE ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARDS Beau Jackson: The project’s general contractor should be selected by late April. Cassie Cunningham: There are pockets in White River’s coverage area without internet service. White River Connect plans $260M high-speed internet project See WHITE RIVER on page 33 Officials say work to start in the third quarter is expected to take five years $47.4M ARPA funds received by White River Valley Electric Cooperative
MARCH 20-26, 2023 by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Before becoming a New York Times bestselling author, Nancy Allen learned her way around a courtroom, having served as Missouri’s assistant attorney general and Greene County’s assistant prosecutor. If she ever decked a defendant, the way Kate Stone punches out Max James in the first chapter of “Renegade,” it didn’t make the news. While matters of law are presented with meticulous accuracy in Allen’s fiction, the actions of characters are the product of pure “what if?” “Payback,” Allen’s second title in her Anonymous Justice series of novels and a follow-up to “Renegade,” is due out in May. Meanwhile, the author is at work on her next project and writes six days a week. Her current project is always in mind – the writing doesn’t stop just because she isn’t seated at her dining room table with a felt-tip pen and white legal pad. But Allen finds time more flexible for a writer than a prosecutor. For Allen, who publishes through Hachette Book Group, one of the Big Five publishers in New York, the money is also appreciably better. “I am far more financially successful as a novelist than I ever was in the legal profession,” she said. She declined to disclose her revenue from writing or her readership numbers, but she noted it hasn’t hurt a bit to co-author two books with James Patterson. His titles have sold more than 425 million copies worldwide, according to Investor’s Business Daily. “I’m a co-author with the most successful writer in the world,” Allen said. “And so, one thing that happens is that people read a book that we wrote together, and some of those people will go, ‘I like that. The co-author’s Nancy Allen. What else has she written?’” Those readers seek out her solo books to buy. Allen said an e-book that might have originally been $2.99 is now $11.99 or $13.99, tinged as they are with the Patterson aura. The trick, said Allen, is to keep the momentum going. “If you want to make a living as a novelist, even once you have had vast good fortune, as I have, you have to continue to produce the content,” she said. “That’s your product, and so a publisher will expect a book a year.” Allen published her first book, “The Code of the Hills,” in 2014. Her third Patterson collaboration, “The Number One Lawyer,” is slated for release in March 2024 and will make 10 books in 10 years. For “The Code,” a mystery set in the Ozarks, Allen’s publisher told her if she hit 10,000 copies, that would be great. “I’m still getting checks,” Allen said. “I know we sold 50,000 long ago, so that was a hit for that book that they did nothing to promote or market.” If 50,000 copies is a blue-sky sales number for a Nancy Allen title, a Patterson collaboration is in the stratosphere. “When I write a book with James Patterson, that’s 2 million copies,” she said. For the kids David Harrison has made a name for himself by writing children’s books. He released his first, “The Boy with a Drum,” in 1969, and it has sold over 2 million copies. His 90-plus titles also include education books for teachers. A Drury University graduate, Harrison worked as a pharmacologist in Evansville, Indiana, and as editor of greeting cards for Hallmark in Kansas City before returning HEATHER MOSLEY My vision tunneled, graying out on the edges of my sight. I spun around. Without thinking it through, I acted on pure instinct. I landed a nasty uppercut to his chin. Seeing the surprise explode in his eyes, right as the blow was struck, was delicious. James went down hard. I saw the back of his head bounce off the concrete when he landed on the pavement. Time had slowed for me. It felt like I waited a long stretch for him to react. But once he did, I was ready. —from “Renegade” by Nancy Allen Writing means business for local authors Books That Make Bank 8 · SBJ.NET
MARCH 20-26, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 9 home to Springfield to take over his father’s business, Glenstone Block Co., in 1973. He ran the concrete block manufacturing company for 35 years before retiring, he said. “The commonality throughout my life was writing,” he said. “I started that back when we were in Evansville, and I just never stopped.” The freelancer life was not for Harrison, he said. Rather, he wanted regular, reliable income, so he worked full time until he sold the block company in 2008. “I’ve written full time pretty much since then,” he said. Harrison is not one to brag, though he could be – not many living people have an elementary school named after them, but he has Springfield Public Schools’ Harrison Elementary. “Among my writer friends, that’s something that comes up all the time,” he said, adding in a singsong tone, “Nanner, nanner, I have a school.” Though he declines to offer specific numbers, Harrison’s literary output does well. “Over my lifetime, I’m certainly in the seven figures, total, but I’m always leery about giving an annual figure – it fluctuates so darn much,” he said. Like Allen, Harrison still gets money from reprints. “The Book of Giant Stories,” which in 1972 won the Christopher Award for content that values the human spirit, sold 700,000 in hardback then went out of print, but it was translated into a dozen languages and eventually found a second publisher. Every year, he said, he gets one or two requests to reprint a story from the collection, each at $1,000 a pop. “That’s money that comes from work I did 50 years ago,” he said. Additionally, 30% of his income is from appearances – “dog-and-pony things,” Harrison calls them. He charges $2,000-$3,000, typically, but he said he doesn’t seek those out. “Even though writing time per hour is probably nowhere near as lucrative, I’d really rather sit home and write,” he said. Harrison, who is 85, said each new book contract is an occasion to celebrate. His most recent title is his memoir, “This Life: An Autobiography,” published in December. “I’ve got one now that an editor has expressed interest in,” he said. “She hasn’t said yes yet, but I think she’s going to. If that happens, I’ll do a victory dance, or in my case a shuffle.” The cozier, the better Susan Keene lives in an orchard in Niangua, where she writes in a tiny blue cottage with her dachshunds by her side. Keene writes cozy mysteries, a subgenre in which a handful of suspects are known to the reader. Often, cozies have offpage murders solved by quirky, amateur sleuths. Keene’s detectives are a restaurateur in her Arizona Summers series and a private investigator in her Kate Nash Mysteries. The Arizona Summers mysteries also include a bonus feature: recipes of dishes mentioned in the book. In publishing with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited model, authors are paid for each page that’s read, and Keene said that’s where she makes most of her money. Keene’s publisher is Springfield-based Paperback Press, which prepares manuscripts for print-on-demand or digital release. “The most I ever had was 80,000 pages read in one month,” she said, noting she hopes to reach 1 million. “I’m going to get there, I have no doubt, if I live long enough.” Keene enjoys teaching the art of the cozy mystery, and her fee varies. She, like Harrison, likes to spend the bulk of her time writing. “The key to success in my opinion is to keep writing. That’s why I’m writing two books at the same time right now – I don’t usually do that,” she said. Writing series books is also a difference-maker, she said. “Readers want to see the character grow,” she said. “They will tell you what they want more of. I think you could write a series and have a hundred books in it and get more popular with each one.” • FAMILY SHOW BENEFIT SHOW FOR April 29 7:00 PM Meridian Title Performance Hall Nixa, MO TICKETS ON SALE AT AETOSCENTER.NET MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL June 18 at 7:00 PM SILHOUETTES May 13 at 7:00 PM Re-live the glory days of Nineties Boy Bands with the music of NSYNC, BACKSTREET BOYS, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK , as well as JONAS BROTHERS AND ONE DIRECTION From Golden Buzzer Act from America's Got Talent The Champions 2020 and First Runner-Up on AGT Season 6 Show Sponsors: & Cox College David Harrison: Every new book is its own reason to celebrate. Susan Keene: Readers like seeing how characters in a series grow and change. MURDER IS SERVED Nancy Allen’s writing studio is her dining room, which she said she happily vacates for Christmas and Easter.
MARCH 20-26, 2023 10 · SBJ.NET NEWS The top 16 products manufactured in the Ozarks this year were chosen by a fiveperson selection committee: • Michael Eaton, executive director of the Missouri Association of Manufacturers; • Allen Kunkel, director of the Jordan Valley Innovation Center at Missouri State University; • Chris Jarratt, chief creative officer and co-founder at Revel Advertising; • Christine Temple, executive editor of Springfield Business Journal; and • Jessi Whitten, chief of operations at Coryell Collaborative Group. Meet the Selection Committee Kunkel Temple Whitten Eaton Jarratt Judges pick SBJ’s Coolest Things Dr. Bentley dies at 88 by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Sixteen products manufactured across southwest Missouri were selected for inclusion in Springfield Business Journal’s second annual Coolest Things Made in the Ozarks awards. The finalists reflect the diversity of the local manufacturing community. Statewide, there are nearly 6,900 manufacturing businesses employing more than 266,000 people, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. A selection committee evaluated the companies based on the uniqueness, innovation and economic impact of their products. The 2023 companies and products are: • 27North Inc., Expedition Truck: 30A Ascender; • Askinosie Chocolate LLC, 62% Dark Milk Chocolate and Fleur de Sel bar; • Flora Farms LLC, Garlic, Mushroom and Onion Cannabis Flower; • College of the Ozarks, Student-Made Apple Butter; • Copper Run Distillery LLC, Small Batch Honey whiskey; • Custom Metalcraft Inc., TranStore intermediate bulk container tanks; • Digital Monitoring Products Inc., XV-24 with AlarmVision; • DIY Girlfriend LLC, Tool belts; • Dymo International LLC, Hunting and fishing bootfoot waders; • EaglePicher Technologies LLC, power module for U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft emergency ejection seats; • Goodman Manufacturing Co., Original Vanilla Double Strength; • Messiah Locomotive Service LLC, Locomotive wheelsets; • Paul Mueller Co., maxxLup Beverage Infusion System; • The Coffee Ethic LLC, Spiced Vanilla Oat Latte bottles; • Walrus Oil, Logger’s Lip Balm and Hand Salve; and • White River Marine Group LLC, 2023 Bass Tracker Classic XL. Public voting to select the Voter’s Choice Award is live through April 12 at SBJ.net/ CoolestThings. The April 10 edition of SBJ will feature profiles on the products. The Best in Show Award, selected by event attendees, will be presented at an awards ceremony on April 26. The selection committee’s Impact and Innovation awards will also be announced at the event. • by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Supporters of Springfield’s Hotel of Terror haunted house have embarked on a petition drive to try to overturn a Springfield City Council decision to seize the property. Council unanimously voted Feb. 21 to invoke eminent domain with plans to raze the 334 N. Main Ave. building in order to make repairs to a bridge that runs in front of it and start work on its Renew Jordan Creek project. Building owner Sterling Mathis, whose family has operated the Hotel of Terror for 45 years, said he recently learned about the process to overturn a council decision through a voter referendum. The action would place the eminent domain decision in the hands of Springfield voters. However, to get the referendum on the ballot, a petition with at least 1,560 signatures must be filed within 30 days of the council vote, according to the city charter. In a Facebook post, Mathis says the petition is intended to “stop the hostile takeover of the Hotel of Terror.” A similar citywide referendum was used to halt a development in Galloway Village in November 2022. Mathis said if he gets enough signatures, the city may be willing to renegotiate their offer. Right now, he said the city is offering $550,000, which does not include the cost to relocate the Hotel of Terror around the corner to his Dungeons of Doom operation. Mathis said he does not know what the city is willing to pay for relocation, and it is the city’s policy not to disclose terms within an active negotiation, a city spokesperson told Springfield Business Journal. Mathis contends relocation costs would be roughly $1 million. Mathis has said the attraction is not movable, with a multistory waterfall, a spinning tunnel and a swinging bridge that he built by hand. He explained that the Hotel of Terror relies on a sense of claustrophobia for its scares, and a city code that requires wider walkways is just one factor that makes a simple move untenable. “You can’t scare them in an open room; they want to run from you, and there’s a chance for people to hurt themselves,” he said. The petition must be signed by a minimum number of voters, the charter states – that is, 10% of the number of people who voted in the last general municipal election. In that election, held April 6, 2021, 15,600 people cast ballots for the mayor, according to the Greene County clerk’s website, which means the number of signatures needed to reach the ballot in the next municipal election is 1,560. It is too late to get the issue on the April ballot. The immediate reason for the council action was to make way for repairs to the North Main Avenue bridge over Jordan Creek. The city has set load restrictions for the bridge, which is a block from its City Utilities of Springfield transit center, but according to Paul Blees, right-of-way supervisor, it can no longer accommodate city buses. The city also intends to move ahead with its Renew Jordan Creek plans, which would restore the above-ground flow of the creek that was sent underground through culverts in the 1930s. Renderings of the project show trails flanking the restored creek, along with amenities and new commercial development. Renew Jordan Creek is included in the city’s Forward SGF comprehensive plan, which was built over many months with the input of numerous city residents and agencies, said Kristen Milam, communication coordinator for the city. “It’s a flood mitigation measure, but with a great opportunity for placemaking and providing a world-class park space and green space downtown,” Milam said. She said the Main Avenue bridge and Renew Jordan Creek are two separate projects that will most likely be worked on at the same time. She noted the city is always interested in getting the maximum benefit at the lowest cost and with the smallest number of impacts when it comes to utilities, the stream or other properties. The bridge is inspected every two years and is in bad disrepair, she said. Without improvements, its load limit could be lowered further, impacting deliveries, or the bridge could be closed entirely. If a referendum were successful and the building were to remain in place, Milam said a major redesign would be necessary, and that would be costly. Additionally, the flow of Jordan Creek would have to be rerouted. “It wants to flow where it is,” Milam said. Mathis said he is not opposed to the city’s plans. “I just want to be treated fair,” Mathis said. “I’m not standing in front of the building with my arms crossed in front of a line of bulldozers saying, ‘No way, I’m not moving,’” he said. “I’m just trying to be able to survive to move it somewhere else. “They’re trying to put me out of business.” • by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Physician and humanitarian Dr. John D. Bentley has died. He was 88. He died March 10. His obituary at GormanScharpf.com does not list a cause. A founding doctor of federally qualified health center Jordan Valley Community Health Center, Bentley in 2014 won Springfield Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement in Business award. Alongside his work in a private internal medicine practice and on the staff of a hospital system, Bentley was a 20-year volunteer for The Kitchen Clinic. He helped administer health care to uninsured people, most staying at the Missouri Hotel, according to past reporting. Bentley in 2015 was named Springfieldian by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. After earning his medical degree in 1964 from the University of Pennsylvania and finishing training in internal medicine in 1968 at the University of Wisconsin, he practiced medicine at what is now Mercy Hospital Springfield for 35 years. He is survived by his wife, former Greene County Commissioner and Missouri state Sen. Roseann Bentley, four children, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. “There aren’t many people like him,” his obituary reads. “People were lucky if they got to know him, have him as their doctor, count him as their friend or love him as their family member.” • Last-minute petition drive seeks to save Hotel of Terror building Dr. John D. Bentley was a founding physician at Jordan Valley.
MARCH 20-26, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 11 NNEEWSS AGRIBUSINESS Waters of the US by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net At the end of 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army issued new rules to define the waters of the United States, aka WOTUS. The EPA’s Dec. 30 statement reads, “The final rule restores essential water protections that were in place prior to 2015 under the Clean Water Act for traditional navigable waters, the territorial seas, interstate waters as well as upstream water resources that significantly affect those waters. As a result, this action will strengthen fundamental protections for waters that are sources of drinking water while supporting agriculture, local economies and downstream communities.” The ruling, which expanded the WOTUS definition, determines how agencies identify bodies of water that are protected under the federal Clean Water Act. While the EPA announcement paints the WOTUS definition as a step forward, the Missouri Farm Bureau, led by President Garrett Hawkins, views it as a problem. “If you were to sum it up in one word, uncertainty – regulatory uncertainty, to be more specific,” Hawkins said. To unpack his point, Hawkins refers to the origin of the Clean Water Act, which was established in 1972. “It was put in place by Congress because there were large water bodies that were catching on fire and were polluted,” he said. “That’s the image that’s conjured up in people’s minds.” Indeed, in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1969, the Cuyahoga River, perpetually covered in oil slicks, caught fire and drew national media attention. The EPA was quickly established by a vote of Congress within half a year, in January 1970; the first Earth Day followed in April. At the time the Clean Water Act was penned, it specified that it protected navigable waters, which are just what they sound like: waterways someone could steer a boat down. These were referred to as “the waters of the United States, including the territorial seas.” Farmers didn’t have a problem with federal laws to keep navigable waters clean, Hawkins said, but regulation has since moved past recognizable lakes and rivers. “We’ve had somewhat of a regulatory ping-pong match through the decades that became heightened during the Obama administration as a result of a string of federal court cases,” Hawkins said. “Ultimately, the Obama administration decided it was going to go in and draw bright lines. “Unfortunately, the bright lines drawn by the administration would have thrown over 99% of Missouri as a state under federal jurisdiction. That was the case with many states.” The revised rule by the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers states that water moves in hydrologic cycles, and discharge of pollutants must be controlled at the source. The new WOTUS definition includes intermittent streams, mudflats, wetlands and wet meadows. The definition is broad, the rule states, and the term “navigable” in the original act is of limited importance. The new rule is extremely detailed, but it clarifies the Clean Water Act’s objective: to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.” Local control Hawkins and the Farm Bureau maintain state land should be under state or local control. During the Trump administration, Hawkins said, clear definitions HEATHER MOSLEY Garrett Hawkins: The latest federal rules on waterways create uncertainty for farmers. REGULATED WATERS? Trent Drake, president of the Polk County Farm Bureau, stands in a field where running water poses a problem. Under the latest EPA definition, it may be a federally regulated water of the United States. Missouri Farm Bureau leads charge against EPA definition See WATERS on page 17
12 · SBJ.NET MARCH 20-26, 2023 FOCUS AGRIBUSINESS You and your husband purchased the coffee roastery business in 2021. How did that opportunity come about? It was a total God story. I was a substitute teacher before this. We had been drinking the coffee for about three years but could never make it in with the hours. We finally made it in and hit it off with the owner. I asked him, “Hey, do you need any help for the summer?” He said, “No, but I just have one lady who’s going on vacation for two weeks. Would you like to work for four hours a day?” It was supposed to be a two-week thing, but week one he asked me to stay for the summer and week three he asked us to buy it. That was May and Oct. 1 we owned it. It was faster than we could have ever imagined. We’re thrilled about it. We love coffee, we love people. I had done the roasting and handled a lot of the accounts, so I got to know the customers, so, it was a really easy transition because they were familiar with me. John and Patty Merritt started it in 1994 and Larry and Kathy Gifford have owned it since around 2006. We’re the third couple to own it. What have been some of the changes you’ve made since the purchase? Ozark Mountain Coffee had a well-known name in the Ozarks, and we’ve just really expanded on that name and rounded out the brand. We’re in the heart of the Ozark Mountains [in Ozark], we have a passion for the outdoors and the Ozarks, so we were really trying to translate that into the branding. We found a local artist that could just really put our ideas to work. We’ve also tried to get out in the community more and let people know we’re here. We’ve started doing some of our own private events, like coffee cuppings. Where and how do you source your beans? We actually use Cafe Imports. We can still pinpoint what farm they come from and have those relationships, but instead of buying a pallet of Ethiopia, a pallet of Costa Rica, a pallet of Columbia and so forth, we can pick and choose our pallet every couple of weeks on demand. That’s really important to us. We’re only going to buy the current harvest and use it within six months of purchasing to ensure the freshness of the green beans before it’s roasted. Cafe Imports allows us to do that because they’re basically the middleman where the farmers can send everything there; they hold it, and we get to pick it as we need to. Right now, we have 12 countries of origin, and we’re always looking to expand there. With those countries, have you faced supply chain challenges or other challenges sourcing product? Yes, there’s still shipping charges and challenges with that. Brazil had an early frost, and Brazil produces 40% of the world’s coffee. That’s a big deal if their crop isn’t what it should be. That also changes the commodity price and the market price. We had to change our region for Brazil for a little bit. Ethiopia had a war awhile back, and that changes things. Anything can change the price of coffee because it is a commodity. We’ve been thankful to not have a ton of issues with it. We’ve just been able to just change a region for a little bit. We have had to implement a yearly price increase to keep up. Our last price increase was in October, and it was a little less than 5% across the board. You have both a wholesale and a retail presence. What’s the breakdown, and what are some of your wholesale clients? When we took over, we were about 55% wholesale and the rest retail. We are getting closer and closer to 50-50. We had about 51.5% growth within our first year. That was organic. Now that we’ve set some more of that groundwork, we are looking to expand our wholesale because that’s our bread and butter. We opened as wholesale only, from 1994 to 2006. As far as wholesale, we have gift shops, coffee shops [and] we do white labeling. Everything is customizable, whether it’s the roast level, the blend, the label, the packaging. As far as retail, we’re open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We’re kind of like the Subway of coffee roasters because you come in and you can pick and choose, mix and match flavors, origins, and we package it right there. Where do you see the biggest opportunities within wholesale? Now that we have some more packaging options, we would love to get into some more local shops like MaMa Jean’s. I think Branson could be a pretty big opportunity. There’s been a lot of coffee shops that have opened in the area, and we are fortunate (to have) a wonderful coffee scene, but really up until recently, they didn’t know we existed. We’re really trying to set that groundwork now to where we’re found by some of those new coffee shops. Dark Stone Coffee on the north side of Springfield, they use our beans, and Vintage Coffee here in Ozark. We have some in Mountain Grove and Galena, one in Branson, some in Arkansas. Do you have plans for your retail space? As far as this location, we wouldn’t open a coffee shop for sit-down. If capital allowed, we would love to open a tasting bar in this area because we do have ample space and we have so many people that want to come in and try coffee, but we don’t brew it. madi blake Co-owner, Ozark Mountain Coffee Co. A CONVERSATION WITH ... KATELYN EGGER Excerpts from an interview by Executive Editor Christine Temple, ctemple@sbj.net 417-831-1700 • pcnetinc.com Managed IT Solutions That Propel Your Business Forward CONTACT US TODAY
sbj.netRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTU2Njc4