MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 1 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 · VOL. 43, NO. 36 YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY SINCE 1980 $2.50 · SBJ.NET TGIF by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net In an effort to provide flexibility to their workers, some area businesses are beginning to offer four-day workweeks. Brand design studio Fried Design Co. got there about two years ago – earlier than most. Founder Josh Sullivan offers his staff of six every other Friday off. Workers don’t put in extra hours to earn their free Friday; there are no strings attached, Sullivan said. “They love it,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest perks that we have of working here.” Fried Design offers competitive salaries and benefits, but Sullivan said he wants to provide an edge. “When you find people who you can trust and who make the work better and make you better and all of those things, you want to give them everything that you can,” he said. “That’s really what it boils down to: How can we make this the best place to work?” Stephen Bent is vice president and director of design for architectural firm Buddy Webb & Co. Inc. His company has been experimenting with having Fridays off since fall 2022. For Buddy Webb & Co., the fourday workweek is accomplished by configuring the 40-hour week differently, with staff working 10-hour shifts Monday through Thursday. “We’ve decided to keep it going. Everyone seems to love having their Fridays off,” Bent said. He added that the model suits an architectural firm, since the professionals have flexibility in their work. They remain accessible by email, and most can schedule design consultations on other days of the week. “That might not be the case with other professions, but it works for us,” he said. Model gains momentum The results of a United Kingdom trial of a four-day workweek caused quite a buzz when released in mid-February. The six-month study included 61 businesses of multiple sizes and types, and 92% said they planned to continue the four-day schedule after the study’s conclusion. When the report came out, Springfield Business Journal conducted a reader poll on the topic, and 76% of the 792 respondents supported the concept of a four-day workweek. In the U.S. House of Representatives, The 32-Hour Workweek Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to shorten the standard workweek by eight hours. Sara Choate, managing director of human resources consulting firm KPM Human Capital Solutions, said she believes the idea will gain ground. “A lot of research will tell you there are many benefits to it, which ultimately drives employee engagement,” she said. “There’s an opportunity for increased wellness.” The U.K. study modeled a reduction of hours in the workweek, rather than a compressing 40 hours over four days. Productivity was reported to have stayed the same or improved. BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT An authority in museum dioramas marks 50 years of creating them in the Ozarks. PAGE 6 Officials: Local banks not in danger from high profile failures by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Amid this month’s pair of high-profile bank failures in California and New York and the rescue efforts by U.S. regulators, local officials say customers of Missouri’s banks should feel confident in the security of their money and the stability of the state banking industry. Jackson Hataway, Missouri Bankers Association president, said his organization has heard from many state financial institutions since Santa Clara, California-based SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB), dba Silicon Valley Bank, and New York-based Signature Bank collapsed and subsequently were taken over by the federal government. Federal officials pledged to make depositors at both banks whole, including those with more than the $250,000 limit insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Hataway and other local officials said such a scenario playing out in Missouri is unlikely, as both the failed banks were highly concentrated with venture capital and startup funding and lacked diversification. Over 90% of SVB’s and nearly 90% of Signature’s deposits exceeded the FDIC $250,000 insurance cap, which led to the virtual run on the bank, according to media reports. “The most important message is that that the banking system itself is fundamentally See BANKS on page 26 See WORKWEEK on page 22 REBECCA GREEN FLEXIBILITY AT WORK Stephen Bent of architectural firm Buddy Webb & Co. says staff seem to love having Fridays off – something they achieve by working 10-hour days Monday through Thursday. Some local businesses embrace a 4-day workweek Jackson Hataway: Missouri banks are well capitalized and widely diversified.
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 2 · SBJ.NET NEWS Your kindness helps create brighter futures for communities and families across the world. Join the movement. How to play: Once you complete an act of kindness, move the kind act ahead. Complete the chart to find out your ultimate championship acts of KINDNESS. Deliver food to a friend Run an errand for someone Offer to babysit for a friend Deliver flowers to an elderly person Tell someone how special they are Bring treats for co-workers Leave a generous tip Bring coffee to a friend Gift a local teacher with school supplies Help your neighbor Give someone a compliment Open the door for someone Pick litter up outside Volunteer in your community Leave a thank you note for a delivery person Be a good listener
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 NEWS CONTENTS Pickleball investments are growing in the Ozarks. page 9 Sports & Business Open for Business A candle-making shop relocates downtown from the Rountree neighborhood. page 4 City Beat Timing mistake means Doling development is nixed. page 7 Opinion Page Digital Editor Geoff Pickle wonders if new FCC rules will stop scam texts from occurring. page 21 Beat Page Work as family? Reporter Karen Craigo makes the case for ending this commonly used language. page 25 SPD utilizes targeted enforcement to curb crime by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Located at the southeast intersection of Glenstone Avenue and Sunshine Street, Plaza Shopping Center is home to a rich mix of businesses, like traditional barbershop Cooper’s Clippers, chiropractic care provider Meek Integrative Health Center and upscale eatery Avanzare Italian Dining. Marco Denis, president of Springfield Property LLC and owner of several properties within the shopping center, often walks the parking lot of the center, and following a targeted enforcement effort by the Springfield Police Department, he said he has seen a marked reduction in criminal activity. SPD spent just over a year – June 2021 through July 2022 – providing stepped-up law enforcement presence at the Plaza Shopping Center. Over and above the regular patrol, a directed patrol was added, and off-duty officers were brought in to provide intensive enforcement for overtime pay, according to Chief Paul Williams. “I feel like the presence there was a lot, and because of that, all of the people who used to come over there to do drugs and that sort of thing were forced to find another place,” said Denis, who also owns the Plaza Towers office building across the street. “I used to pick up needles in the parking lot. I haven’t seen that anymore.” Williams said the enforcement effort was a success by every measure – including the fact that the shopping center has had a reduction in criminal and suspicious activity in the last eight months. These days, the area is patrolled only by the force’s regular officers, and the police area representative officer monitors it. “They’re making sure things don’t pop back up,” Williams said. Over the course of the year, officers involved with the targeted enforcement effort at the Plaza wrote 165 tickets and made 166 arrests, Williams said. Officers made contact with some 1,100 people who were acting suspiciously. Williams said much of the activity officers responded to was related to drug sales, stolen cars and foot traffic by people with no apparent business motive for being at the shopping center. “There were about 2,300 hours worked to solve that problem and really create a much more positive and safe environment for folks that were visiting,” Williams said. Additionally, business owners say they don’t have the same issues any longer, Williams said. Denis also acknowledges the success, but cautiously. “Based on the result that they got, I think it’s good to take a break a little bit, but I feel like every now and then, maybe every three to six months, they should come back and do that again and see how it goes,” he said. With more than 40 full-time officer vacancies in the department, unused salary lines provide money in the budget for the overtime effort, Williams said. The target area Williams said his department works with business owners who are experiencing crime or other problems. The Plaza Shopping Center was a special situation, however: It was an entire shopping center with multiple business and property owners. “There were repeated complaints, and an extraordinary amount of criminal activity and complaints,” he said. “We had to look at different means of addressing that.” Officers were asked to sign up on a voluntary basis to spend overtime hours patrolling the center. “It’s a really intense focus on a particular area to try to eliminate the problem, arrest the bad guys and make people feel safe,” Williams said. Normally, a targeted enforcement effort is 30, 60 or 90 days in duration, he said, but the Plaza Shopping Center required something more. BYRON KING TARGETED ENFORCEMENT Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams regards targeted enforcement effort at Plaza Shopping Center as a success. See CRIME on page 30 165 Tickets issued in a year of enforcement at Plaza Shopping Center Overtime pay for officers comes from unused salary dollars A Conversation With... SBJ interviews Evangel University Athletic Director Dennis McDonald. page 10
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 4 · SBJ.NET NEWS APC is the best choice for commercial solar. Businesses throughout MO, OK, and AR are accessing the potential of their commercial building rooftops and installing commercial solar. In return, increasing their businesses sustainability by significantly reducing future electricity costs and creating cash flow over the life of the system. APC Solar is the solar contractor of choice for dynamic energy solutions that enhance capital and decrease operational costs. Trusted by CPA firms and numerous local entrepreneurs! apcsolar.com 888-272-9875 By Mike Cullinan, Reporter New business, new location, new owner? Send your info to newbusiness@sbj.net Heirloom Candle Bar Art supply thrift store Arrow Creative Reuse LLC opened Dec. 17 at 1506 St. Louis St. Owner Karlei “Re” Baker-Dietz said the business, which is registered as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit under Arrow Art Supply, sells new, gently used and vintage art supplies and materials, such as acrylic paint, markers, pastels, pencils, pens, spray paints and watercolors. It also carries fabrics, yarn, art instruction books, original artwork and home decor. Baker-Dietz said several volunteers help at the shop, but she is the lone employee, noting startup costs were $6,000. She declined to disclose lease terms. Arrow Creative also hosts art instruction classes and workshops, with costs starting at $10. Baker-Dietz said she’s a Springfield native and artist who creates sculptures and encaustic paintings, a technique which involves adding colored pigments to heated wax. She said the nonprofit works to recycle and reuse art materials. Rockford, Illinois-based Beef-A-Roo Inc., a family-owned fast-casual restaurant chain, debuted in the Queen City on Feb. 22. The eatery at 1411 W. Kearney St. fills roughly 4,370 square feet in a building formerly occupied by Dairy Queen, which shuttered last year. Matt Riddle, Beef-A-Roo’s chief operating officer, declined to disclose startup costs or lease terms with HJH Premium Springfield Kearney LLC. Riddle said each of the chain’s 10 restaurants are owned and operated by Beef-A-Roo, noting Springfield is the first shop to open outside Illinois. The company also plans to add stores in Kansas, Indiana and Michigan, according to its website. Riddle said General Manager Jake Holmes leads the 40-employee Springfield location. Its menu includes burgers, roast beef sandwiches, cheddar fries, salads, soups, baked potatoes and wraps. Prices range $3-$9. After debuting in the Rountree neighborhood in late 2022, Heirloom Candle Bar LLC moved March 16 to a larger space downtown at 400 W. Walnut St. Rose Cochran, who co-owns the venture with her husband, Garrett, said the do-it-yourself candle shop fills 2,000 square feet on the southwest corner of Walnut Street and Campbell Avenue. Renovation and relocation costs were $16,000, she said, adding the couple signed a three-year lease for $2,000 per month with building owner Dr. Howard Follis. She said the building most recently housed software company Juxly LLC, previously owned by Follis. Additionally, the Cochrans own Fleur Floral Studio LLC, 1423 E. Cherry St., Ste. 101, where Heirloom opened four months ago in shared space with the flower shop. At Heirloom, customers select a vessel and fragrance oils for their candle, then pour the wax, mix the products together and place the wick. She said the seating capacity at the shop’s new home is nearly double the 24 seats previously available. ☎ 417-590-7111 HeirloomCandleBar.com Arrow Creative Reuse Beef-A-Roo ☎ 417-590-4488 ArrowCreativeReuse.org ☎ 417-771-5351 BeefARoo.com OPEN FOR BUSINESS Rose Cochran KATELYN EGGER
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 5 Learn which approach is right for your business! NEED HELP WITH YOUR BUSINESS VALUATION? Travis Walker, CPA, ABV® Shareholder years, as an assistant U.S. attorney since 2018. She’s also served as Greene County’s assistant prosecuting attorney and as a legislative staffer to former Gov. Matt Blunt. Municipal The Bolivar Board of Aldermen approved the hiring of Thomas Relford as city administrator, succeeding the retired Tracy Slagle. Relford worked with the FBI for 25 years before retiring as the special agent in charge of the Albany, New York, field office in 2021. Recently, he’s worked in security audit and compliance through Thomas F. Relford Consulting LLC and last year was appointed to the finance committee for the city of Salem, where he resided. Nonprofit Charity Jordan, prevention education coordinator for Harmony House, was appointed to the Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations. The commission acts as a clearinghouse regarding human rights, offers related education services and provides recourse for discriminatory acts. Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. Executive Director Anjanette LaBellarte-Gilbert won the Heart of Hospice Visionary Award from the Missouri Hospice & Palliative Care Association. The award recognizes collaboration to improve hospice/end-of-life care through public policy, consumer education or service to the community. by Eric Olson · eolson@sbj.net Accounting The Whitlock Co. hired certified public accountant Chelsey Dollarhide as an audit manager in the Springfield office. Previously a chief financial officer at multiple companies, she holds a bachelor’s in accounting and an MBA from Drury University. Banking & Finance The Bank of Missouri promoted Bryan Allison to Bolivar community bank president. The Polk County native has 25 years of lending experience and 15 years of bank management experience. Allison holds a bachelor’s in agriculture business and economics from Missouri State University. Education Springfield Public Schools promoted Travis Shaw to deputy superintendent of operations to succeed John Mulford, who’s retiring from SPS on July 1 and taking the superintendent job in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Shaw, who joined SPS in 2017, is currently executive director of operations. In his new role, Shaw will oversee financial and business services, transportation, facilities and construction, and human resources, among other areas. Insurance Craig Henley, vice president of sales at OneSource Insurance Group, earned the certified insurance counselor designation for property and casualty insurance through The National Alliance. He’s worked in insurance since 2011, and also handles life, health, business and personal lines. Law Carnahan Evans PC hired attorney Alexandra A. Henson as an associate in the estate planning group. She holds a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Arkansas and a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri, and also has experience working in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Gov. Mike Parson appointed Josephine “Jody” Larison Stockard, of Springfield, as associate circuit judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit in Greene County. She succeeds T. Todd Myers, who was promoted to circuit judge for the 31st Judicial Circuit last year. Stockard has worked as a Department of Justice employee for seven NEWSMAKERS Send announcements to newsmakers@sbj.net LaBellarte-Gilbert Stockard Relford Henley Shaw Dollarhide Allison Jordan Henson WE SPECIALIZE IN PROBLEM SOLVING FOR BOTH SMALL AND LARGE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ROOFING PROJECTS 417-831-5634 | 1-800-884-1918 | www.DeltaRoofing.net 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 CORRECTION Springfield City Council member Abe McGull is running unopposed for Zone 2 and Councilmember Monica Horton is running unopposed for Zone 1 in the April 4 election. The March 20 story “Mayor, 3 council seats up for grabs on April 4” misidentified the zones.
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 6 · SBJ.NET BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Paleoartist by Nicole Chilton · Contributing Writer Hidden away on 1,500 acres in southern Missouri sits Chase Studio, a sprawling workshop of scientist and artist Terry Chase. His name may not be immediately recognizable, but the same can’t be said of his work. “Millions of people every week see our exhibits,” Chase says. “It’s amazing that we’re tucked down here in the middle of nowhere and nobody knows about it, nobody knows about me.” Chase’s work spans 50 years and hundreds of museums and exhibit centers worldwide that specialize in natural history, including The Smithsonian Institution and Chicago’s Field Museum, and locally, a number of the state park visitor centers in Missouri and Arkansas. Chase, who holds a master’s degree in paleontology from the University of Michigan, has a passion for art and science and has combined the two areas to create a distinguishable career in creating museum exhibitions. He has employed up to 90 people at his studio, including artists, sculptors, scientists, cabinet makers, welders and even an on-site librarian, to manage the collection of over 20,000 books on natural history. “We have the reputation that we do because of our scientific background,” Chase says. The studio and workshop, a complex of 11 buildings and 50,000 square feet of workspace, also contains a private collection of over 1 million natural history specimens, including rooms painstakingly archived with a variety of fossils, rocks and minerals, corral specimens, taxidermy animals and folk art from across the globe. One of his most recent projects, completed in January, was the restoration of a papier-mache life-size model of a 14-foot giant Pacific octopus for Harvard University. The octopus originally arrived on its campus in 1883, and after years of existing in less-thanideal conditions in a classroom at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Chase was hired to help move and restore the specimen. Financed by the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Chase worked closely with Sylvie Laborde, acting director of exhibitions for the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. Laborde says that Chase’s restoration process, which cost roughly $15,000, required maintaining the papier-mache technique, which isn’t commonly used in modern model-making. “Terry had to adapt, and he did an amazing job,” says Laborde, down to matching the original painting techniques. “Terry was trying to match as close as possible this effect, but he didn’t have the history of how it was created. He adapted his own paintbrushes to create the same spotty texture.” Working on an animal spanning 14 feet is the tip of the iceberg for Chase. “We’re getting ready to start on an 85-foot cottonwood tree for the Denver airport,” he says. Building a tree to that scale requires multiple steps, many of which Chase and his team have developed over the years, including welding the trunk and branches from steel before layering with naturalized textures to create a realistic effect. “Our botanical models are so realistic, it’s hard to tell them from the real thing,” Chase says. Using a homemade machine that he says performs better than commercial options, Chase makes molds directly from the plant parts and vacuum-forms foliage in plastic to create perfect replicas. Chase says he is a perfectionist, like many on his team. “I’m more interested in perfection than money,” he says, declining to disclose annual revenues. “People ask me ‘how much do you charge?’ I have no idea. “I have to have people that watch over me because I tend to give stuff away for free.” Chase says he and the studio staff of 20 – including Business Manager Linda Clark – typically work on a dozen projects at a time, some of which take years of planning and execution. This summer, he’ll accept and employ up to REBECCA GREEN Terry Chase overlooks a scale model of a museum he’s working on, with hopes of seeing it built in southwest Missouri or Arkansas. Left, at Chase Studio east of Branson, famous Alaskan sled dog Balto is one of the items being restored for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. eight college students in an immersive internship experience where they’ll learn natural history model building. The program is a partnership with Missouri State University, where Chase has donated 1,200 acres of his property for the university’s biological field station. It now houses an Environmental Education Center that includes classrooms, a commercial kitchen and dorms for up to 25 students. Laborde hopes the internship program is a way for future artists and scientists to learn not just about model-making but also absorb Chase’s passion that goes into this specific style of work. “Terry understands space very well, and designing an exhibit with him is not just about model-making; he understands the science and biology,” she says. Chase has enough projects to fill his 15-hour workdays, including a recent commission by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where he is restoring over 300 taxidermy animals. One project that he is particularly excited about, however, is a traveling exhibit called “The Art of Chase Studio,” where his team of artists will display individual pieces. Chase says the Draper Natural History Museum in Wyoming has committed to the first exhibition, and he’s hoping to display regionally at the Springfield Art Museum as well. “My wish list is a mile long,” Chase says, noting it includes plans for constructing a natural history museum in the Ozarks with potentially 350,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space, an outdoor arboretum and a scientific collection repository. “I’ve been doing this for 50 years, and it’s almost an obsession. I love what I do. That’s what keeps me going.” • In 50 years creating dioramas for museums, Terry Chase has become an authority mixing art and science Chase Studio Owner: Terry Chase Founded: 1973 Address: 205 Wolf Creek Road, Cedarcreek Phone: 417-794-3303 Web: ChaseStudio.com Email: info@chasestudio.com Services/Products: Natural history exhibition design and construction Employees: 20 MORE PHOTOS AT SBJ.NET Meetthe
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 7 NEWS Housing development inadvertently nixed by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net A project delay requested by Springfield City Council inadvertently caused the de facto denial of a Doling neighborhood housing development. At the Feb. 21 meeting, Springfield City Council asked developer Mike Stalzer to voluntarily host a second neighborhood meeting for the mixed multifamily and single-family housing development he had proposed for the area of 739 W. Talmage St. The required neighborhood meeting for the project coincided with a severe cold snap on Dec. 22, and Councilmember Monica Horton felt the weather prevented some residents from attending the meeting and sharing their concerns. Stalzer did host a second meeting at council’s request. However, City Attorney Rhonda Lewsader informed council at the March 20 meeting of a provision she had discovered that day while preparing for possible questions. The original public hearing on the bill was held on Feb. 6 and declared closed on that date, Lewsader explained. However, city code Section 36-405F states that if council fails to act within 30 days following the conclusion of a public hearing on a preliminary planned development – by March 8, in this case – the development is denied. “There is no action that sitting council can take this evening regarding the application for preliminary planned development,” Lewsader said. Lewsader said the process would have to start over, including a review by the Planning & Zoning Commission and another neighborhood meeting. Even protest petitions collected by neighborhood residents would have to be redone. City Manager Jason Gage said the question of rescheduling a neighborhood meeting came up in the last meeting and city staff had to review city code on the spot. “As you recall, we were trying to, in essence, dance in the meeting to try to address the question,” he said. He added that the code is different for a typical rezoning than for a planned development like Stalzer’s proposal. “I don’t know why,” he said. “And to me, it should be the same; but it is different, and, yes, we missed that area in the code.” Gage offered an apology to council and the developer on behalf of city staff. He added that council has been talking about the urgency of a city code update so that regulations match up with the city’s comprehensive plan, and part of that update is to review processes. “There’s no reason to have small nuances in places that perhaps create inequities,” Gage said. Horton said that while the city considers code changes, it should look into provisions for canceling neighborhood meetings and allowing for them to be rescheduled if there is a situation such as inclement weather. Reached by Springfield Business Journal after the meeting, Stalzer declined to comment. It is unclear whether he will propose the project again. Ironically, the rezoning was not even necessary for the development in its current form, according to Stalzer, who said at the Feb. 6 council meeting that the overall density is five units per acre, which is within the density allowed in a single-family residential zone. Stalzer has already adapted his original plans, reducing the new development from CITY BEAT From the March 20 City Council meeting: • City acts on first of 14 stormwater projects netting $17 million in ARPA funds. • Rezoning is approved for housing near York Elementary. • Grant will address pollution in Wilson’s Creek. • Pair of state grants will improve Kansas Expressway intersections. Full City Council coverage is at SBJ.net/citybeat 55 Townhomes and houses proposed in Doling project Rhonda Lewsader: Process glitch means Doling developer would have to start again. Overlooked code provision means rezoning fails and developer must restart See COUNCIL on page 29 PRESENTED BY NOMINATE ECONOMIC IMPACT AWARDS Who should be recognized with the 2023 Lifetime Achievement in Business Award? Which companies and individuals should be recognized for the impact made on the local economy? Nominate at SBJ.net/EIA
MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 8 · SBJ.NET NEWS Commercial service returns to Branson Airport by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Commercial service is coming back to Branson Airport. Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines announced service at Branson Airport starting in August, according to a news release. “The Branson Airport is very excited for Sun Country to bring its low fares to the Branson and greater Ozarks region,” said Stan Field, Branson Airport executive director, in the release. “Making it easier for visitors to travel to our region with convenient and affordable flights is something Branson Airport has been committed to since opening in 2009.” Sun Country will offer nonstop flights to and from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The announcement comes after Frontier Airlines chose not to continue providing commercial service to Branson Airport this year, leaving private flights as the only travel option at the airport, according to reporting by Branson Tri-Lakes News. • Paul Mueller’s annual profits drop by nearly half by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net While fourth-quarter earnings improved, it wasn’t enough to reverse a down year for Paul Mueller Co. (OTC: MUEL). Mueller Co. on March 17 reported 2022 net income of $3.6 million, down 48% from $7 million in 2021, according to a news release. Diluted share earnings dropped to $3.32 from $6.44 per share year over year. In the company’s annual report, Mueller Co. President and CEO David Moore said, “Our performance was significantly affected by increasing input costs due to higher prices for materials and parts, higher compensation to our co-workers and increased time spent managing shortages of required parts and materials.” Revenue during the year grew 3.6% to $191.5 million from $184.6 million in 2021. During the fourth quarter, profits were up 99% to $3.9 million, while revenue increased by nearly 26% to $59 million, according to the release. The Springfield-based stainless steel manufacturer’s work backlog at year’s end was $132.8 million, up from $78.4 million as of Dec. 31, 2021. • SGF coffee shop closing by SBJ Staff · sbj@sbj.net Bloom’s Coffee Bar & Bakery is shuttering after around a year in business. Officials with the shop, 1109 E. Battlefield Road, announced the planned March 27 closure in a Facebook post on March 20. “This last year has been one of many joys and accomplishments for our team. It has also been a year of an unfortunate and unforeseen accident to one of our owners that ultimately led to the difficult decision of closing down,” the post reads. Nikita Skorykh, who launched the concept with his wife, Elona, was injured in a May 2022 car wreck shortly after Bloom’s Coffee Bar & Bakery opened for business, according to a blog post on the Assemblies of God’s website. According to the post, Skorykh attends AG Theological Seminary. Bloom’s, located in a building in front of Andy B’s near the Battlefield and National Avenue intersection, serves up a variety of coffee drinks, smoothies and shakes, as well as food such as tiramisu and sausage rolls, according to its website. • $3.6M Paul Mueller’s 2022 net income In Flight Earnings Report
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 9 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net As more people show interest in a nearly 60-year-old sport, local tourism, business and sports officials want to capitalize on its increasing popularity. Pickleball, which originated in 1965, is an indoor or outdoor racquet activity that combines elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong, according to the USA Pickleball Association, which governs the sport. It can be played in nearly two dozen venues in the Ozarks – a number which local participants say is on the rise. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 8.9 million people over the age of 6 played pickleball across the United States in 2022. That total – approaching double the 4.8 million the organization reported participating in 2021 – is up roughly 157% since 2019. The USA Pickleball Association’s Places2Play online database noted at the end of 2022 there were 10,724 known locations and 44,094 courts to play in the U.S. That’s an increase of 1,557 locations from 2021. There are myriad reasons for the sport’s growth, said Matt Battaglia, president of the Ozarks Pickleball Club. The organization, which became a 501(c)(3) in 2021, loosely started as a Facebook group in 2005, he said. “One, it has a real low barrier to entry. Almost anyone can pick up a paddle and a ball, and as long as you have a net somewhere, you can play,” he said. “It’s one of those rare sports that a lot of different people can play together.” Much like other outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as hiking and biking, Battaglia said pickleball attracted an increasing amount of interest. The online group, which began to communicate with other players, has surpassed 2,600 members, he said. However, he added there’s no official membership total for the club, as it doesn’t collect fees. “We formed the club to centralize and organize all the players and get everybody together, as well as get the word out and organize events,” he said, noting the free monthly social events typically draw 100-125 people. The club also organizes several tournaments a year in Springfield, with venues including Meador Park, Cooper Tennis Complex and Gillenwater Tennis Complex. Participants pay to compete, Battaglia said. “We’re running tournaments with easily over 200-300 people every single time,” he said. “The growth has been very much evident in everything we do.” Tournament time One of those tournaments, the Queen City Open, debuted last year at the Cooper Tennis SPORTS & BUSINESS Passion for Pickleball HEATHER MOSLEY Clockwise from left, Susan Miller, Becky and Mike Logan, and Jayne Browne play a pickleball match at Classic’s Yard, which opened last month. MORE PHOTOS AT SBJ.NET Matt Battaglia: Local pickleball club draws hundreds to its tournaments. Springfield looks to boost interest to the rapidly growing sport See PICKLEBALL on page 17 8.9M People who played pickleball in the U.S. last year
10 · SBJ.NET MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 FOCUS SPORTS & BUSINESS The Valor Center is an estimated $18.5 million, 70,000-square-feet sports facility. What will be included in that building, and what will that allow for Evangel Athletics? You have the Rowden Training Facility, and that’s going to house men’s and women’s soccer locker rooms, a football locker room, athletic training space and a weight room. That area is meant to really provide services for all sports programs. The Valor Center is the gymnasium and the arena, and then a lot of offices in both of those buildings. We’ll office pretty much everybody but baseball and softball in this building. It’s updating a facility that was built in the early 1960s, the Ashcroft Activities Center. Yeah, right about the time I was born. This building is aging for sure. We’ll still be using the facility quite a bit because right now we don’t have an opportunity to have simultaneous practices for either basketball or volleyball, so what that does is put pressure on your academic times. That’s really a great benefit. Will the new facility allow for any additional sports? It has to be determined, but it absolutely provides the opportunity for that. For example, court sports like men’s volleyball, men’s and women’s wrestling. What are the biggest revenue drivers in the athletics program? At the (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) level, we’re always trying to strike the fine balance between enough scholarship to have really great athletes but at the same time, not every single one of those athletes is a full-scholarship pathway. Trying to strike that balance between tuition revenue and actually being able to give enough scholarships to have great athleticism. You compare that to University of Alabama: one home football game will bring in more revenue to that university than just about every school in the NAIA [combined] having the revenue from [one] home football game. So, it’s the paid tuition from studentathletes that’s the biggest portion of your revenue? Yeah. For us, we’ve got about 1,500 undergraduate students and I’ve got 500 athletes, so that’s a third of the campus. There’s a multitude of different activities that draws students into an institution like Evangel, and that obviously generates the tuition dollars that we need to be able to be successful. Beyond tuition, you also have to have the fundraising aspect, and those donors that are out there that believe in our mission, and that generates quite a bit of revenue as well. Has the number of student-athletes grown since you’ve been in this position? We just started men’s and women’s soccer that year, so they had actually developed a plan, put the plan in place, hired the coaches and that was the return of men’s soccer. In 2015, we were right at 300 athletes. The year prior to that we were about 250. We started growing I would say my second year here; it’s my eighth year. In year two, we began to develop a plan for rosters for every sport that would be strong enough rosters that we would be able to have a greater number of total student-athletes but not so large that the athletes wouldn’t have a great experience. Last fall you launched the Evangel Valor Marketplace, working with the name, image and likeness partnerships with college athletes. What traction have you seen? We have a partnership with Opendorse. Any of our athletes can log on and they can read through different offerings that are out there and then they could basically apply for that. If they’re chosen, then they would use their name, image and likeness for whatever that might be. It could be as simple as a company that wants to advertise something, and they just want to be able to have maybe one of our college athletes be a part of that. I talk to our kids all the time and say, “How’s it going?” “Well, I made $80 last night.” “I made $100.” “I made $25 just doing this one thing.” At our level, it’s a great way for our students if they want to get engaged; they can actually just make a few extra dollars. We’ve got 15 or 20 [athletes] that are working hard at it all the time. We probably have somewhere around 100 that have engaged in it. How has student recruitment changed since the pandemic? The major challenge is because in various sports, the athletes were given an additional year of eligibility. That one thing has put all of our head coaches around the nation into this dilemma on when do I begin to replenish the players as they’re leaving. What’s happened is you’ve seen this in the Division I level trickle down to where this player’s going to take that extra year of eligibility and so there’s no spot. That player that might ordinarily have been at a Division I level is making a decision, do they go the (junior college) route or do they sign with four-year university? That will begin to kind of phase out in the next year. dennis mcdonald Director of Athletics, Evangel University A CONVERSATION WITH ... HEATHER MOSLEY 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
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12 · SBJ.NET MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 SPORTS COMPLEXES Sponsored By Christine Temple: We want to start with the numbers. Let’s break down the impact of sports tourism on our region, and also the potential with so many new complexes just opening up, such as Sports Town, and others in the works. Lance Kettering: In a macro sense, it’s a $40 billion industry across the country for sports travel and tourism. Obviously, that includes things as hotels and restaurants and attractions and all those dollars that are spent in your community, when there is a sports event in your city or region. Temple: What are we seeing with some of the local tournaments? Stacie, maybe you can speak to this as your facility has been quite busy since it opened. Stacie Wells: Yes, we have been, thank goodness. We had, just a couple weeks ago, a collegiate volleyball event. Brought in 42 teams. We had Indiana State University, Kansas State University, Mizzou, Arkansas, all bringing in teams and they all stayed in hotels, and they all ate at restaurants and did activities. To piggyback on top of what Lance said, more than just the hotels and the restaurants – anytime you can bring in sports tourism, you bring in people that maybe have never seen the area that they’re traveling to. They might end up liking it. They might end up moving here or they have a business that they want to see brought in. So, sports tourism goes deeper than any extra tax for the economic development. Temple: What are you anticipating as your potential economic impact coming from the Sports Town facility? Wells: The Springfield Sports Commission had Huddle Up Group do the economic development plan prior to COVID in 2019. We took that same company and they did a study on just the Allison Sports Town, and it was $30 million net spend. That’s $30 million in new money that’s being spent into the area just from the Allison Sports Town. Kettering: A good example of this was this past two weekends here in Springfield. We hosted the state basketball championships classes 1 through 3 two weekends ago, and Class 4, 5 and 6 were this past weekend. Then, the National Christian HomeSchool Championships brought in 358 teams to Springfield for competition. Conservative numbers put the economic spending at about $4.8 million for the National Christian HomeSchool Championships and about $3.1 million in economic spending for the state basketball championships in Springfield. John Markey: I’m soccer-specific, but our tournament in April, we’re trending 125 to 140 teams with 70% being from outside the Springfield, southwest Missouri area. When you look at that, they average 14 to 16 players per team. So, 16 families per team. So, you’re looking at somewhere around each family spending somewhere around $600 when they come in. So, you’re just over $1 million dollars in economic impact. That’s not counting the locals. Our other 30% local teams that come, they go to convenience stores nearby, they add gas, they’re going out to restaurants as teams. So, it’ll bring in well over $1 million in economic impact. We try to do three to four tournaments a year that have that kind of impact. Wells: John, I know you’ve seen it as well as I have, that a lot of times these weekend tournaments end up being three- and four-day events for families just because that’s kind of their vacation money. There’s lots to do around southwest Missouri. Markey: We compete heavily with St. Louis and Kansas City for tournaments, which is the turf fields that we’ve got going in and the turf fields that Allison Sports Town put in. The one thing that is consistent, I know Lance knows this from his surveys, is when they come to Springfield, they feel like they get treated better. People come here and they feel good about being here. There’s other things to do here. They don’t have to drive 45 minutes from complex to complex. We have an advantage as a city and as area region here that other markets don’t have. We have to take advantage of that. To do that, the facilities have to be up to par to really match these others to take advantage. Excerpts by Editorial Intern Presley Puig, intern@sbj.net. Each month, we gather around the table with a different group of Springfield business leaders to discuss industry trends, workforce and company operations. Join us as we get a behind the scenes look into our business community from the C-suite. Now available as a podcast, the full discussion is at SBJ.net/CEORoundtable. Springfield Business Journal Executive Editor Christine Temple discusses sports tourism and the growth of local sports complexes with Lance Kettering, executive director of the Springfield Sports Commission; John Markey, executive director at Lake Country Soccer; and Stacie Wells, general manager at the Betty & Bobby Allison Sports Town. Stacie Wells, Lance Kettering and John Markey Anytime you can bring in sports tourism, you bring in people that maybe have never seen the area that they’re traveling to.” —Stacie Wells, Betty & Bobby Allison Sports Town
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 13 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 Stacie Wells Lance Kettering HEATHER MOSLEY Spencer Fane LLP | spencerfane.com 2144 East Republic Road, Suite B300 Springfield, MO 65804 © 2023 Spencer Fane LLP. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. With a team of 30 attorneys and other business professionals in Springfield, Spencer Fane assists clients on a wide range of legal issues. Industries Banking and Financial Services Health Care Hospitality and Lodging Real Estate Construction Manufacturing Energy Education Media and Entertainment Legal Services Labor and Employment Litigation Business Transactions Lending/Borrowing Transactions Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Creditors’ Rights Tax and Estate Planning Tax Credits Financing Regulatory People come here and they feel good about being here. There’s other things to do here.” —John Markey, Lake Country Soccer John Markey SCAN ME! LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE: UP NEXT: Small Business SBJ.net/CEORoundtable or wherever you find podcasts FOCUS SPORTS & BUSINESS
14 · SBJ.NET MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2023 FOCUS SPORTS & BUSINESS AREA'S GOLF COURSES Name Address Telephone • Website Email Par Men's Ladies' Yardage Longest Shortest Cost For 18 Holes Cart Price Per Lesson Head Golf Pro or Manager Superintendent Pro Shop Practice Green(s) Food On-site Driving Range(s) Public or Private Course Owner Year Opened BILL & PAYNE STEWART GOLF COURSE 1825 E Norton Road, Springfield 65803 417-833-9962 • ParkBoardGolf.org sfreeman@springfieldmo.gov 70 71 6,162 4,903 $31 $18 1 $50-$75 Shawn Freeman Scott Welsh ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Springfield-Greene County Park Board 1947 BRANSON HILLS GOLF CLUB 100 N Payne Stewart Drive, Branson 65616 417-337-2963 • BransonHillsGolfClub.com ddavis@bransonhillsgolfclub.com 72 72 7,324 5,323 $119-$159 Included $70 Dan Davis Lukas Phillips ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Branson Hills Golf Club LLC 2009 BUFFALO RIDGE SPRINGS 1001 Buffalo Ridge Blvd, Hollister 65672 417-339-5430 • GolfBigCedar.com bigcedar@big-cedar.com 71 71 7,036 5,881 $95-$200 Included $100 Greg Thomas Caleb Crawford ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Johnny Morris 2014 FREMONT HILLS COUNTRY CLUB 1953 Fremont Hills Drive, Nixa 65714 417-725-1506 • FremontHillsGolf.com info@fremonthillsgolf.com 71 71 6,300 3,675 $50-$60 $201 $50 Theo Atchison Sam Richart ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Private Fremont Hills Country Club Inc 1969 GREATLIFE GOLF AND FITNESS AT DEER LAKE 5544 W Hwy 266, Springfield 65802 417-865-8888 • GreatlifeSpringfield.com jeanine.farrant@greatlifegolf.com 72 73 6,982 5,484 $22-$30 $17 1 Varies Jeanine Farrant Jeremy Farrant ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Semiprivate Great Life Golf & Fitness 1990 GREATLIFE GOLF AND FITNESS AT GREENE HILLS COUNTRY CLUB 8702 W Hwy 160, Willard 65781 417-742-3086 • GreatLifeSpringfield.com membership@greatlifegolf.com 70 70 6,416 4,693 $22-$30 $17 1 Varies Jeanine Farrant Jeremy Farrant ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Semiprivate Great Life Golf & Fitness 1966 GREATLIFE GOLF AND FITNESS AT ISLAND GREEN 169 Country Club Drive, Republic 65738 417-732-7622 • GreatLifeSpringfield.com membership@greatlifegolf.com 72 72 7,017 5,145 $22-$30 $17 1 Varies Jeanine Farrant Jeremy Farrant ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Semiprivate Great Life Golf & Fitness 1999 HICKORY HILLS COUNTRY CLUB 3909 E Cherry St, Springfield 65809 417-866-4384 • HickoryHillsCountryClub.com cleon@hickoryhillscountryclub.com 72 72 7,154 4,084 $85 $18 1 $70 Rick Neal Bart Bellmon ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Private Hickory Hills County Club Inc 1934 HIDDEN VALLEY GOLF LINKS OF STONE COUNTY INC 4455 Hidden Valley Road, Clever 65631 417-743-2860 • HiddenValleyGolfLinks.com hvglmo@gmail.com 73 73 6,600 4,400 $34-$47 Included $45 Mitch Behnen Adam Camp ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Dan Clark & Robert Cummings 1974 HIGHLAND SPRINGS COUNTRY CLUB 5400 S Highland Springs Blvd, Springfield 65809 417-886-0408 • HighlandSprings.com hscc@highlandsprings.com 72 72 7,115 4,970 $80-$155 Included $75 Brian Maloney Jonathan Prange ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Private Atrium Hospitality LP 1989 HOLIDAY HILLS RESORT & GOLF CLUB 630 E Rockford Drive, Branson 65616 417-334-4840 • HolidayHills.com 68 68 5,822 4,334 $45-$80 Included $30 Mac McNish Matt Overton ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Holiday Inn Club Vacations 1938 HONEY CREEK GOLF CLUB 15276 State Hwy K, Aurora 65605 417-678-3353 • HoneyCreekGolfClub.com scott@honeycreekgolfclub.com 71 77 6,412 5,529 $22 $20 $25 Scott Welch Scott Welch ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Semiprivate Bill Welch family 1929 HORTON SMITH GOLF COURSE 2409 S Scenic Ave, Springfield 65807 417-891-1639 • ParkBoardGolf.org acummins@springfieldmo.gov 70 70 6,317 5,199 $25-$30 $18 1 $75 Alan Cummins Mel Waldron ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Springfield-Greene County Park Board 1962 MILLWOOD GOLF & RACQUET CLUB 3700 E Millwood Drive, Ozark 65721 417-889-4200 • MillwoodGolf.com info@millwoodgolf.com 71 72 6,726 4,903 $802 $18 1 $60 Chris Obert Chad Hoerschgen ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Private Dan Schumacher, Sweetshoe LLC 1995 OZARKS NATIONAL 2335 Branson Creek Blvd, Hollister 65672 417-339-5460 • GolfBigCedar.com bigcedar@big-cedar.com 71 71 7,370 5,025 $125-$250 Included $100 Landon Steele Ben McCurry ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Johnny Morris 2019 PAYNE'S VALLEY 1250 Golf Club Drive, Hollister 65672 417-339-5420 • GolfBigCedar.com bigcedar@big-cedar.com 72 72 7,370 4,957 $150-$350 Included $100 Steven Shumate Steve Johnson ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Johnny Morris 2020 THE POINTE AT POINTE ROYALE 142 Clubhouse Drive, Branson 65616 417-334-4477 • VisitThePointe.com info@visitthepointe.com 70 70 6,515 4,492 $90 Included $65 Brent Burney N/A ✔ ✔ ✔ Public Pointe Royale Property Owners Association 1986 Golf courses are listed alphabetically. Only 18-hole golf courses within a 50-mile radius of Springfield are considered for this list. Prices are for adults; local, senior and junior pricing may be available. N/A: Not available. 1 Per person. 2With member. Researched by: Karen Bliss Karen Bliss © Copyright 2023 SBJ. All rights reserved. This material may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This material may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Amenities
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