JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 1 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 · VOL. 44, NO. 29 $2.50 · SBJ.NET YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY SINCE 1980 TAWNIE WILSON CEO ROUNDTABLE Economic development executives talk market investments and regional collaboration. PAGE 14 Proposed nonprofit would spur regionalism in SWMO by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net A new nonprofit is in the works to guide efforts toward regionalism in southwest Missouri. Executive development official Dean Thompson is making phone calls to gauge interest for involvement in such an organization – and his calls are going straight to area C-suites. Thompson holds two key positions as both executive director of regionalism and economic development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and vice president and chief economic development officer for City Utilities of Springfield, and from that perch, he is in position to get business leaders to pick up the phone. A regional task force has been at work for over a year on ways to foster collaboration in a 10-county region including Greene, with a special focus on three areas: workforce development, quality of life and branding. The group itself is nameless, but it was born from a chamber Community Leadership Visit to northwest Arkansas in 2022. “Seeing what they’re doing, that really resonated with a lot of the folks to say, oh, boy, we could do so much more on a regional basis,” said Brian Fogle, former president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. Mother’s ownership makes Queen City investments by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net It’s been a busy start to 2024 for Mother’s Brewing Co. LLC, as its owners have launched a pair of concepts that could bring new customers onto its downtown property and beyond. The company underwent an ownership change in May 2023 when Jeff and Lindsay Seifried purchased the business from founder Jeff Schrag and his wife, Mary. The new owners opened Cufflink Coffee on Jan. 15. It’s a shop located on the east side of the 215 S. Grant Ave. Mother’s Brewing campus. Jeff Seifried said the opening came less than two weeks after the debut of Mama’s Home Terminal Tavern by Mother’s Brewing Co., a branded bar at the Springfield-Branson National Airport. “For us, it’s an opportunity to get people to interact with Mother’s in a nonalcohol platform – something that gets people in at 7 a.m.,” he said of Cufflink Coffee, which is open seven days a week from 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. “There’s no reason that space should sit empty all day and wait for the taproom to open.” The shop serves coffee sourced from partners Mudhouse Coffee and The Coffee Ethic, as well as coffee-infused Mother’s beers, like Imperial Grind Black, and bakery items such as muffins, scones and a German waffle with chocolate on top, dubbed Nuss-Schokoladenwaffeln. He said the latter item’s addition to the menu was the idea of his wife, Lindsay. “We’ve got several folks on the brewery See SWMO on page 28 See MOTHER’S on page 20 Dean Thompson: CEOs have nimbleness, resources and connections to make things happen. TAKING FLIGHT Mama’s Home Terminal Tavern is a Mother’s Brewing Co. branded bar at Springfield-Branson National Airport. It debuted at the start of the month, say brewery co-owners Jeff and Lindsay Seifried. Local brewery debuts coffee and bar concepts amid event space expansion
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JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 NEWS CONTENTS A Conversation With ... SBJ sits down with developer Brad Thessing to talk about his redevelopment work on the north side and a new 20-acre commercial development in Ozark. page 12 Economic Development Open for Business A food truck begins service in southwest Springfield. page 4 Business Spotlight It’s all about hot sauce for startup Springfield Trading Co., which last year sold $180,000 while building the brand nationwide. page 6 Opinion Page Executive Editor Christine Temple shares why SBJ joined the Informed Voter Coalition. page 27 Book outlines businessman’s near death in China Council considers bill to curb cash-prize gaming machines by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Springfield hotelier Gordon Elliott had a specific audience in mind when he penned his autobiography: his grandchildren. “It was mainly to pass it down to generations of grandkids,” he said. “I always wanted lots of grandkids. I figure you’re rich when you have a lot of grandkids.” That’s how his book, “Dead on Arrival in China,” was born – but Elliott, 80, said as he got into it, he realized the ideas inside could be used by other grandkids, and other people, as lessons for living. The book released this month chronicles his experience having a severe heart attack while on vacation in China in September 2004 and then starting the long process of wresting back his health and returning home. At the outset, things looked bleak. The first chapter of the book recounts the moments when Elliott’s wife, Glenda, awaited word on her husband’s condition: As Glenda watched them proceed to inject needles and give my heart electric shock treatment, she was, of course, confused and just trying to take it all in. While she was in that dazed condition, she talked to an American lady who had just lost her husband. That woman was still at the hospital, presumably still working with the staff to sort things out. She told Glenda, “I hope they can save your husband; they just lost mine.” Shortly thereafter, Glenda overheard a phone call from the hospital to the American Embassy. They said that they had a United States national, aged 61, who was DOA – Dead On Arrival. She realized they were talking about me. Two decades later, Elliott is signing copies of his book, a 128-page paperback with his photograph on the cover – a photograph taken by a Springfield Business Journal photographer when he was a by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net Springfield City Council is taking aim at gaming machines in an ordinance introduced at its Jan. 22 meeting. The ordinance would add a section to the city code to ban what it refers to as entertainment devices offering monetary prizes. Commonly known as video lottery terminals, the machines – often found in gas stations, fraternal halls, smoke shops and gaming rooms – allow customers to place bets on electronic outcomes. Council plans to vote on the proposed ordinance Feb. 12. Missouri law allows unregulated gaming devices known as pre-reveal or nochance machines that its proponents say do not meet the legal definition of gambling. Across the country, some states and localities have attempted to ban pre-reveal machines, which the Florida legislature defines as those in which the player must press a preview button before they can play. “The preview button displays the outcome of the next game but not the game after that,” the Sunshine State legislative record states. Council is not entering into the fray about whether the machines constitute games of chance or gambling. Rather, the ordinance proposed by members Monica Horton and Matt Simpson would eliminate monetary prizes. The new code language would state the following: “No person shall maintain or offer for use by any person any entertainment device that offers a monetary prize to any person regardless of the frequency with which a monetary prize is conferred or the TAWNIE WILSON Gordon Elliott got a new lease on life two decades ago after his near-death experience, recounted in his new autobiography, “Dead on Arrival in China.” See BOOK on page 24 See COUNCIL on page 30 Gordon Elliott says he had too much to do to die CITY BEAT From the Jan. 22 City Council Meeting: • A vote allowing council to change conditional use permits without Planning & Zoning Commission input is now scheduled for Feb. 26. • Two congregate shelters will receive a share of the city’s ARPA funds, with a third to be considered at a future meeting. • Parks Director Bob Belote is honored upon his retirement. Full City Council coverage is at SBJ.net/citybeat
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 4 · SBJ.NET NEWS By Mike Cullinan, Reporter New business, new location, new owner? Send your info to newbusiness@sbj.net The Gypsy High-End Eatables & Desserts After six years operating in the Battlefield Mall food court, London Calling Pasty Co. relocated Jan. 6 to Nixa food hall 14 Mill Market. Carrie Mitchell, who co-owns the restaurant and mobile food truck venture centered around British cuisine with her brother-in-law Neil Gomme, said they were drawn to the food hall concept and wanted to keep growing their brand outside of Springfield. She declined to disclose relocation and renovation costs or lease terms with Rich and Leah Callahan, who own the 203 E. Mount Vernon St. business. London Calling’s menu includes pasties, pronounced pass-tees, which are baked pastries filled with ingredients such as meat and vegetables, as well as shepherd’s pies, sausage rolls, and fish and chips. The company, which began in 2013 as a food truck, continues to operate two mobile eateries in the Queen City and surrounding towns. Mitchell said they plan to expand the food truck fleet this year, adding another vehicle to travel farther outside the region. A former executive with the Better Business Bureau and television news journalist became a first-time business owner with the Nov. 1 opening of Staggs Financial Services LLC. Stephanie Staggs is the lone employee for her venture, which occupies 200 square feet inside Tagge Insurance Agency LLC at 5336 S. Campbell Ave., Ste. 200. She declined to disclose startup costs or her five-year lease rate with Tagge Insurance. Services at Staggs Financial include college, retirement and financial planning, as well as life, long-term care and funeral insurance. Staggs said business owners, women and families primarily comprise her clientele, adding she welcomes parents to bring their children for appointments to her office, which has a kids’ space with toys and books. Staggs worked five years as the BBB’s local director before exiting in 2022 to work for AGFinancial as director of communications and marketing. She previously was an on-air reporter for nearly a decade at various television stations, including KY3 and KSPR. Restaurant veteran Stephanie Wigger teamed up with a couple of her friends on The Gypsy High-End Eatables & Desserts LLC, a food truck that launched Jan. 12. The venture is set up in the parking lot of the Revival 98 dispensary at 2782 W. Republic Road. Wigger said the food truck’s six-person staff includes co-owners Jake Waters and Emily Wade, adding the three also work together at downtown bar Best of Luck Beer Hall. Wigger declined to disclose startup costs or lease terms with Revival 98. The Gypsy marks a return to ownership of an eatery for Wigger, who formerly owned Farm Fresh Steakhouse & Bakery LLC and began working in the industry in the 1990s. The Nixa restaurant, which first opened in 2017 in Highlandville, closed in 2022. The Gypsy’s entrees include beef stroganoff, chicken marsala and coconut curry. Vegetarian options are available by substituting portabella mushrooms for the protein. The eatery also has sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads and baked goods, including cakes and cookies. Entree prices range $12-$14. ☎ 417-848-1399 TheGypsy417.com London Calling Pasty Co. Staggs Financial Services ☎ 417-705-6000 LondonCallingPastyCompany.com ☎ 417-501-5450 StaggsFinancialServices.com OPEN FOR BUSINESS Stephanie Wigger KATELYN EGGER CD RATES LIMITED TIME APR = Annual Percentage Rate. APY = Annual Percentage Yield. Rates subject to change without notice. Rates effective 1/17/24. $1000 minimum deposit. Penalty for early withdrawal may apply. Dividends paid monthly. foundationcreditunion.com 417-895-2770 6 Month CD 4.60% - APY 4.70% Contact us for additional Rates, Terms, and conditions.
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 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 Architecture Stephanie Shadwick was promoted to partner at nForm Architecture LLC. She joined the firm in 2012 and holds bachelor’s degrees in architecture and art history from Drury University. Dake Wells Architecture Inc. hired Cale Ambuehl as a design associate. He previously completed an internship with the firm, while earning a Master of Architecture from Drury, then worked two years at an architectural firm in Washington, D.C. Kirk Dillon, a project architect at Dake Wells Architecture, became a registered architect in the state of Missouri and a member of the American Institute of Architects. He holds a Master of Architecture from Drury. Banking & Finance Guaranty Bank added Ryan Fletcher as a vice president and commercial banking officer and Melinda O’Quinn as deposit operations manager. Fletcher has 10 years of experience in commercial banking, including lending and credit administration, most recently as a commercial loan officer for Hawthorn Bank. With 32 years of banking experience, most recently as branch operations officer for The Bank of Missouri, O’Quinn manages Guaranty’s operations department and supports the retail branches. Branson Bank hired Matthew Baker as a financial adviser in its Branson Wealth Advisors division. The Branson native is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor’s in accounting from Oklahoma Baptist University. Health Care Dr. Jeffrey Tedrow joined Citizens Memorial Hospital and the Stockton Family Medical Center. He served as a family medicine physician at Bolivar Family Care Center for 29 years and left briefly to work in family practice as well as chief medical officer for Katy Trail Community Health in Warsaw. Tedrow holds a Doctor of Medicine from University of Missouri and completed residency at the Florida Hospital Medical Center in Orlando, Florida. Municipal Restore SGF named former city planner Brendan Griesemer as executive director. He worked 27 years for the city of Springfield, most recently as the Planning and Development Department’s assistant director and a stint as interim director. Springfield-Greene County Park Board appointed longtime employee Jim Fisher as interim director of parks, effective Jan. 28, when Director Bob Belote retires. Fisher has served the Park Board as assistant director of administration since June 2015, overseeing the golf division, special facilities, business operations, park rangers, Jordan Valley Park and human resources. He’s spent nearly 40 years in public parks administration, including a stint directing the Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites in Clay County outside Kansas City. Fisher holds a bachelor’s in natural resources from University of Nebraska. Nonprofit Better Business Bureau Springfield added Kevin Baker and Christina Craig as advisory board members. Both are small-business owners – Baker with Club Z! In-Home Tutoring and Craig at Craig Automotive Services – and 2023 BBB Torch Award winners for ethical business practices. Nathan J. Bunting, founder and CEO of Digitools Consulting LLC, was named to the National Small Business Association Leadership Council. He serves with other small-business owners across the country to advocate to policymakers in Washington, D.C. The Skaggs Foundation added Nyssa Berhorst as grant administrator for the Skaggs Legacy Endowment grants. She oversees funds granted to nonprofits in Stone and Taney counties that promote health and wellness. NEWSMAKERS Send announcements to newsmakers@sbj.net O’Quinn Tedrow Shadwick Baker Dillon Baker Craig Berhorst Fletcher Ambuehl CORRECTION Rue Lohn was misidentified in a photo on the Jan. 22 Newsmakers page. Lohn was named lead pastor for The Connecting Grounds.
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 6 · SBJ.NET BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT by Eric Olson · eolson@sbj.net The recipe for startup Springfield Trading Co. contains healthy servings of barbecue competitions and a dash of stay-at-home orders during the pandemic. Creator Anthony Brent says the idea of turning his cooking hobby into a business venture began to take shape in 2020 with some idle time at home – and then he let it simmer. A couple years later, his first small-batch hot sauces emerged at Farmers Market of the Ozarks, and now Springfield Trading Co. products are sold at retailers around the city – and from the San Francisco Bay Area to a borough of New York City. The sauces and seasonings also are used by area chefs and sit on dining tables at about 10 local restaurants for patrons to add a kick or unique flavor to their favorite dishes. Springfield Trading Co.’s signature sauce – and Brent’s first recipe – is a spicy garlic, but he’s created several others, including the savory, sweet and tangy Everything Sauce and one called Verde Magic. There are also two dry seasonings in the mix. “There wasn’t a pivotal moment except me just being trapped in the house during COVID,” Brent says on starting up. “I like cooking.” Brent says he began to experiment with his brisket sauce: “If we turned that a little bit different, that would make a great dipping sauce. If we added a little honey mustard, that turned into the Everything Sauce.” By mid-2022, he was bottling and selling the sauces, starting with the Farmers Market. Revenue in those first six months tallied $17,000, he says, but more importantly word began to spread and the products suddenly were on the radar of the country’s largest outdoor retailer. “I woke up to an email from Bass Pro,” he says of the Springfield-based retail giant. Four Bass Pro Shops executives told him they used his sauces in their home kitchens and they wanted to meet at the headquarters, get to know him and carry his products in their stores. Since that meeting in fall 2022, Bass Pro now carries Springfield Trading Co. sauces in a dozen stores around the country. The next year, his company’s first full year in business, Brent says Springfield Trading Co. revenue was $179,000. The company is now part of a growing $244.5 billion sauces and condiments market in the United States, according to a 2023 valuation by Global Market Insights. The market report projects a 5.6% compound annual growth rate through 2032. Analysts in the report say, “Consumers are looking for ready-made sauces and condiments that may enhance the taste of their meals with less effort due to busy lifestyles and a desire for various and international flavors. “As a result, manufacturers are innovating with new flavors, healthier options and package designs to satisfy consumers’ growing tastes and preferences.” Co-packer key A key for Brent keeping up with the early volume is a co-packer contract with a company in Florida. “It took us a couple years to find us a good co-packer that would bottle and manufacture our hot sauce on a higher level,” he says of the process before launching in 2022. The company, which he declines to name for competitive reasons, takes the ingredients, mixes the recipes, bottles it up and handles distribution. “There are a couple ways to start a hot sauce company or any type of condiment company,” Brent says. One way is investing a couple million dollars in the pre-revenue phase to hire staff, establish a manufacturing and warehouse facility, and earn Food and Drug Administration approval. “A second route is you find a co-packer. They already have the staff (and) the certifications with the state and with the FDA,” he says. “It streamlines the process, but at the same time you lose some margins.” Brent has made an effort to set up his products for wholesale purchases in unconventional ways. One is placement on Faire. com, an online wholesaler for over 100,000 independent brands. Since joining the online portal two months ago, Brent says he’s added nine retailers, including Garlic Braids in California and Jubilee Market and Prospect Butcher Co. in Brooklyn. Most recently, he struck a deal in town with The Restaurant Marketplace, a brickand-mortar store for restaurant owners and operators, as well as the public, to shop wholesale prices. Developed in partnership by Fellers Food Service and SGC Foodservice, the 17,000-square-foot shop opened on West Grand Street in 2020, says Lucus Setterfield, the manager of sales and operations. The marketplace allows Springfield Trading Co. to go head-to-head with hot sauce titans Frank’s, Louisiana and Cholula. It’s also a potential shortcut on distribution. “He wants to make it easier for some of his restaurants to be able to get it,” Setterfield says. Springfield Trading Co.’s products began selling there Jan. 15, and Setterfield says a few bottles sold the first week. “I’ve tasted a lot and worked with a lot of ingredients, small purveyors. The best version of things are small batch, almost always,” says Setterfield, who has industry experience as an executive chef in Little Rock, Arkansas, and at Downstream Casino Resort. “This product, the design, the flavor really speaks to the quality that Anthony is doing. I like the fact he built it.” Other local retailers that carry Brent’s products are Maschino’s, 417 Charcuterie, The Grill Guys and Horrmann Meats. He says it’s also on the dining tables at Amigos Mexican Restaurant, Farmers Gastropub and Retro Metro, among others. Brent says the naming was intentional because he wants the brand to be connected to the city he started in. “There’s almost a Springfield in every state, and I wanted Springfield to be No. 1, the No. 1 Springfield,” he says. “We wanted to be one of those things, when you go to Springfield, you have to go to Bass Pro Shops, get some Andy’s and maybe stop at Askinosie Chocolate. But before you leave, you have to get some hot sauce.” • Springfield Trading Co. Owner: Anthony Brent Founded: 2022 Address: 1920 E. Meadowmere St., Stes. 8A-8B Phone: 573-944-9514 Web: SpringfieldTradingCo.com Email: info@springfieldtradingco.com Services/Products: Sauces and seasonings 2023 Revenue: $179,000 Employees: 1 full time, 1 part time Anthony Brent’s hot sauces are now sold in The Restaurant Marketplace, a brick-and-mortar store for restaurateurs, as well as the public, to shop wholesale prices. TAWNIE WILSON A hobbyist cook turned entrepreneur goes all in on hot sauce It’s in the Sauce
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 7 NEWS Construction begins on $9M housing development in Marshfield community hese days, the health benefits offered by employers can be just as important as the hiring salary. Offering health insurance doesn’t just benefit your employees, but makes you, the owner, more competitive in today’s job market. Call for a free consultation. Occupational Medicine | Immediate Urgent Care Direct Primary Care Plan (DPC) | Supplemental Insurance 1308 N. Glenstone Ave.| Springfield, MO 65802 | 417-832-1117 Knows the secret... to providing affordable healthcare 2215 W. Chesterfield Blvd., Suite 30 Springfield, MO 65807 (417) 408-8822 | info@smb-cpas.com Expertise you can trust. We allow you to focus on what you do best – running your business! • Business and individual tax preparation & consulting • Monthly accounting, bookkeeping & financial statements • Audit services for small business, nonprofit and low income housing • Real estate development and tax credit expertise Pictured L-R: Matthew Blackwell, Partner, Jacob Sanders, Managing Partner, and Chris Myers, Partner. by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net While this month’s weather has challenged construction progress, a multimillion-dollar affordable housing project in Marshfield is underway. A Jan. 4 groundbreaking kicked off work on Jordan’s Place, a 40unit housing development for adults with disabilities and senior citizens that officials call a first-of-its-kind project in Webster County. Jackson-based RCH Development Inc. is general contractor for the roughly $9.7 million project designed by Columbia-based Wallace Architects LLC. Officials with a pair of Webster County-based nonprofits, WC Partners and WC CapeAbilities, have worked for the past couple years to make the development a reality. WC Partners, a 501(c)(3) which rebranded in 2016 from the Webster County Senate Bill 40 Board, provides support for county residents with developmental disabilities and their families. That support includes case management services through a private contract with the Missouri Department of Mental Health with the goal of providing clients with the aid needed to live and work in the community. WC CapeAbilities, another 501(c)(3) organization, was organized by WC Partners in 2021 with the intent of working with the Missouri Housing Development Commission to increase the availability of accessible housing within the county. Katrina Detherow, executive director for WC Partners, and Joyce Fenner, chair of WC CapeAbilities, were among those in attendance at the ceremony, which took place on a 6-acre area adjacent to a Mercy clinic near the intersection of Spur Drive and Highway OO. “When we finally got to the groundbreaking, we were ecstatic,” Detherow said, adding the project idea began three years ago. The facility’s name has special meaning for Fenner, as it pays tribute to her son, Jordan Estes-Fenner, who died by suicide in 2015. She said her son previously was hit by a drunk driver and sustained a traumatic brain injury, adding it prevented him from holding down a job and led to depression. “Not being able to get housing, not being able to work, he just lost all hope and really got down on himself,” she said. Addressing a need Client service has grown substantially for WC Partners since it began case management in 2012, Detherow said. County school districts and Missouri First Steps, a state program that offers coordinated services and aid to young children with special needs, refer Jordan’s Place is designed for seniors and adults with disabilities See MARSHFIELD on page 23 provided by WC PARTNERS Katrina Detherow: WC Partners plans to break ground for a new office building in a month. SENSE OF PLACE An artist’s rendering shows the front entrance to Jordan’s Place, a 40-unit housing development under construction in Marshfield near the intersection of Spur Drive and Highway OO.
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 8 · SBJ.NET NEWS BK&M trial ends, verdict to come by Geoff Pickle · gpickle@sbj.net A planned two-day trial was kept to one day on Jan. 18 as Greene County Circuit Court Judge Derek Ankrom received evidence and listened to witness testimonies in a bout pitting a group of University Heights neighborhood residents against developer BK&M LLC. No verdict was delivered, with Ankrom saying at the end of the more than eight-hour trial that the parties’ attorneys had two weeks to file any proposed summaries for him to consider in his verdict. Ankrom, who did not indicate a planned date for his decision, previously issued a partial dismissal of claims on the portion of the plaintiffs’ lawsuit related to the zoning of lots in the neighborhood. A verdict from the Jan. 18 trial had not been issued by press time. At issue is whether BK&M – represented at trial by partner Ralph Duda and his attorney, Bryan Fisher of Neale & Newman LLP – can move forward with its commercial development plans at the northwest corner of Sunshine Street and National Avenue. Plaintiffs Dixie Sleight et al. are seeking the enforcement of deed restrictions – largely related to the prohibition of commercial development – that were implemented when University Heights was created 100 years ago. Additionally, neighborhood residents Mark and Courtney Fletcher joined the lawsuit as intervenors and represented themselves in the proceedings. Bryan Wade of Husch Blackwell LLP, the plaintiffs’ attorney, called a series of witnesses, comprising residents of the neighborhood who are plaintiffs in the case and a real estate agent identified as an expert witness because of his experience with historic homes. Sue Robinson, one of the property owners and plaintiffs, presented the first testimony in what became a theme among Wade’s witnesses: that the deed restrictions protect the character and property values in the neighborhood. “When I purchased my home, obviously it was a historic residential neighborhood. That has a tremendous amount of value to me,” she said. In his cross-examination, Fisher asked Robinson to identify where in her property deed it allows her to enforce century-old restrictions, particularly when ownership has changed in the decades since. Fisher sought to distance the current iteration of the neighborhood from when it was built. “It’s part of the common plan in the neighborhood,” Robinson said. Lisa Dixon, a plaintiff whose home is behind BK&M’s proposed development, said the construction process would create a “very negative” impact on the neighborhood. Her husband, Rod, also took the stand. “I think it’ll be the value of the property itself, and any time later if we wanted to sell, I think that would reflect on that,” he said of his opinion that the development would diminish property values. Wade called Murney Associates, Realtors agent Richard Crabtree as an expert witness due to his historical approach to the real estate business and his research into the history of Springfield’s neighborhoods. Crabtree spoke of homes within University Heights that are significant for various reasons, including residences designed by Springfield architect Carl Bissman. “Year after year, they’ve went up in value,” Crabtree said of University Heights homes. Wade asked if Crabtree’s research found whether the original creators of University Heights intended for the neighborhood to stay residential. “I don’t see how you could look at the material and come up with anything otherwise,” Crabtree said. Fisher questioned the validity of Crabtree’s See TRIAL on page 21 LET US HELP YOU SIMPLIFY Streamline your subscription. If your company has two or more subscriptions, contact us today about our Custom Corporate Subscription program. Email subscriptions@sbj.net to get started today! Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, for children ages 6-17. Call 417.799.7474 for your FREE assessment today. perimeterspringfield.com PROVIDING HOPE. TRANSFORMING LIVES. Find a guiding star on your child’s behavioral health journey. Murney Associates, Realtors agent Richard Crabtree was called as an expert witness in the trial. provided by JYM WILSON FOR SPRINGFIELD DAILY CITIZEN
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 Local women share their journey to the top of their professions and the challenges and triumphs they faced along the way. They’re rewriting the script on success and there’s no ceiling. Jamie Dopp is my guest this week. She’s the manager of marketing and communications for White River Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. This conversation takes us out of the office and on the journey to receiving a rare diagnosis for her daughter, Lillie. Five years ago, the daughter she described as vibrant and outgoing became unable to keep food down. Diagnoses of eating disorders and failure to thrive were tossed around, but Jamie says she knew something was being missed. She became determined to find answers, fueled by sheer will and the strength of her own mom’s example. Jamie says she found her voice and learned to trust her intuition as she researched how to help her daughter. The yearslong journey resulted in a diagnosis just .013% of people will ever hear. In this conversation, Jamie talks about the volunteer experiences that taught her to hold on to hope and how she’s committed to self-care in the next season of life. Below is an excerpt from the start of our conversation. —Christine Temple, Executive Editor Christine Temple: I want to start by going back five years ago to the start of your daughter’s symptoms. Can you tell me what that looked like and what it was like to try to find out what was going on with her? Jamie Dopp: When she first got sick, it seemed like she just had a virus or some kind of common cold. She woke up in February 2019 and wasn’t holding food, and so we did what any parent would do – we took her to the doctor and got that diagnosis: It’s a virus; it will go away in a day or two. But a day or two came, and she was still not holding food at all. We took her back and they are like, well, it might be acid reflux. After about a month and a half, we went to the doctor and they were once again trying to prescribe her with another acid reflux medicine. Maybe this was the first time I found my voice in her story, but I just said I’m not leaving here today with another prescription. Please, get her to a GI doctor. Something is very, very wrong. We couldn’t get in for a couple months to the GI doctor, but when we did, the questioning he was asking her was: How old are you? What kind of grades do you make? She answered: I’m 13, make straight As. And then he said, do you have a lot of friends? And she said, yes. And he turned to me and he said, I think your daughter has an eating disorder. I stared at him and I said, you’re saying this before you run one test on her? It really sunk in that this was going to be a battle that we were going to fight to get help for her. Temple: In this journey, you’re really having to advocate for her and be her voice to a medical institution. Did you feel comfortable doing that and saying, “This is what she needs; can you try something else? I’m not sure this is right.” Dopp: In the beginning, no, I was not comfortable at all. It’s not in my personality to argue or disagree, especially with someone who went to school to learn medical. My degree is in marketing. I know nothing about the body. That led me on a path to just start researching and trying to figure out on our own what was happening. Tests were coming back often showing nothing was wrong with her, and so that was frustrating when you know that something is seriously wrong and nothing is supporting that. We were lucky in her journey to meet a lot of people that helped her along the way. A friend of mine led me to meet Laura Daily, who’s a real estate agent, and she had had similar issues as a child. Her gallbladder had really gone bad and had kept her from eating. I went back to Lillie’s pediatrician and said we’re not getting anywhere with the GI doctor. Can you just help us? She supported that and ordered the scan, and it showed Lillie’s gallbladder was not functioning, and so we had her gallbladder removed. We thought that that would be the end. The gallbladder is out, life is going to be great, and we can move on and put that behind us. But it wasn’t as simple as that. Her story took a lot longer to get to the final destination that we’re at now. LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE: SBJ.net/NoCeiling or wherever you find your podcasts UP NEXT: Heather Lyons-Burney Faith Community Health and My Neighbor’s Charitable Pharmacy JAMIE DOPP White River Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. TAWNIE WILSON PRESENTED BY Leadership Spotlight I firmly believe that everyone can be a leader, no matter where they sit or what their title is. It happens through setting an example for those around you by maintaining high standards for your own work and the treatment of others, by being open to hearing and incorporating feedback, generating and contributing new ideas, and always, always continuing to learn. AmericanNational.com Lelia Starr Director, Enterprise Threat & Vulnerability Management SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 9
EXPECTING The Springfield area is growing, and the opportunity for all of us to create meaningful change is more achievable than ever before. Here’s to a year of shared triumphs, possibilities, and growth. Together, let’s make 2024 extraordinary!
JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 11 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Gradual Progression by Mike Cullinan · mcullinan@sbj.net Republic city officials say it’s an active time for municipal projects – particularly with the Parks and Recreation Department on the verge of ending one development this year with two more in various stages of progress. The city is in the final months of a $7.4 million expansion for the newly rebranded The Rush Republic Aquatic Park. Additionally, the department is tackling Phase I of a multimillion-dollar development of a farmers market and community event space at J.R. Martin Park and soon plans to solicit construction bids for a roughly $40 million outdoor athletic complex on 136 acres south of James River Freeway. Those are in addition to several mixed-use developments under construction by the private sector and a high level of interest in single-family home building, said Andrew Nelson, one of the city’s two assistant city administrators. “In 2023, we issued a record number for us of single-family house permits,” he said, noting the 255 permits smashed the previous high of 210 issued in 2022. Republic’s population reached 19,728 in 2022, a 3.1% increase from a year prior and over 5% up from 2020, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. “We’re somewhere around $165 million in projects that the team is overseeing,” City Administrator David Cameron said, adding $150 million is connected to a multiyear expansion of Republic’s wastewater system. Cameron said that expansion, which includes $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding and a $45 million bond issue, began construction last year with plans to complete work by 2026. “That will take care of the sewer capacity for the city and environmental compliance for the city for quite some time,” he said, noting the wastewater plant capacity will nearly double at the end of the project to roughly 5.7 million gallons per day. Into the pool A significantly different kind of water will soon be flowing at The Rush Republic Aquatic Park – formerly the Republic Aquatic Center – as the 711 E. Miller Road facility is undergoing the first expansion project in its nearly 20-year history. Jared Keeling, assistant city administrator and parks and recreation director, said Branco Enterprises Inc. is the project’s general contractor, adding work is roughly 70% completed. The center’s footprint will double upon completion of the 3-acre expansion, which is adding a lazy river that is 575 feet long and 10 feet wide, as well as new slides, terraces to accommodate cabanas, a party space and lounging areas. Keeling said the city worked with Revel Advertising to roll out the rebrand of the aquatic park this month, complete with a new logo and website. The Rush is set to open by Memorial Day weekend. “We feel like it kind of went beyond what would be a normal municipal center, and teetering – if not all in – on the edge of a water park, and one to brand and advertise like that,” he said. He said the aquatic park will have 35-40 employees, and with expected additional costs for staffing and operations, rates have been adjusted for the 2024 season. Daily admission will be $10 for Republic residents and $13 for nonresidents. Last year’s rates were $6.50 for residents and $7.50 for nonresidents. “We believe it’ll have quite the regional draw, maybe up to a 100-mile radius. Our existing facility kind of does that already, but we really think this one will have even more potential to do that,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a lot more facility to enjoy, a lot more amenities to enjoy.” Officials are budgeting revenue of $814,500 for The Rush this year, a 76% increase over 2023. Park plans Over at J.R. Martin Park, located on 24 acres at 300 E. Hines St., plans call for Phase I work to construct a pavilion and plaza area and move existing tennis courts to another city park. The project will be put out for bids in either March or April, city officials say, with construction to begin by mid-July after the city’s annual Have-A-Blast Patriotic Celebration. “We don’t know what construction time could look like there, but we are targeting conservatively for a spring 2025 grand opening,” Keeling said, adding Phase I is budgeted for $2 million. “But if the contractors should get in and make short work out of it, we’ll be prepared to have some events out there prior to spring of 2025.” Roughly $300,000 in ARPA funds are being used for the project, he said, adding second-phase work will include adding outdoor classroom space and replacing playground equipment. With plans for the Republic Sports Park and Athletic Complex in mind, the city bought 136 acres of agricultural land in September 2021 for $3.2 million from the Ruth Sawyer Trust, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The property fronts James River Freeway for almost a mile between U.S. Highway 60 and Farm Road 156. The park is expected to be completed in two phases with the project calling for 10 baseball/ softball fields, eight soccer fields, up to 12 pickleball courts, fishing piers on a human-made retention pond, a nature center, outdoor classrooms, playgrounds and TAWNIE WILSON AQUATIC ACTIVITY Flanked by city of Republic employees Garrett Cline and Emma Dulin, Jared Keeling, assistant city administrator and parks and recreation director, says the expansion project for The Rush Republic Aquatic Park is set to wrap by May. Republic officials balance multiple large-scale projects as population rises See REPUBLIC on page 17 $7.4M The Rush Republic Aquatic Park expansion project cost David Cameron: City is working on $165 million in development projects. Andrew Nelson: Singlefamily housing permits hit a record last year.
12 · SBJ.NET JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 FOCUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Glenstone Avenue and Kearney Street has been identified as an entryway to our city and one corridor that is key to a long-term city vision. At this intersection, you’ve helped bring in Whataburger, Chick-fil-A and Take 5 Oil Change. Do you have more plans for this area? I was also involved with the Kum & Go and, years ago, the Freddy’s – and some tenants across the street, Crumbl Cookies. We’re constantly looking at other opportunities up here, but it’s going to get to access and proximity to (Interstate) 44. We’re looking at possibly doing some stuff to the west of (the Chick-fil-A) site that Tim [O’Reilly] currently owns. It’s somewhat of a gateway into Springfield off of I-44 onto Glenstone. It’s nice to see it take shape after all these years considering what it used to look like versus today. Your projects benefited from tax increment financing and other incentives through this area being designated as a qualified opportunity zone. Was that a requirement for your interest in developing in this area? The city blighted this whole [Kearney] corridor between Glenstone and Kansas Expressway. So, then we as developers don’t have to go and do the blight study and the time that takes to do that. We would’ve had to do a blight study if they didn’t blight it because we would’ve had to do incentives in order to do the redevelopment, from the demo and all the infrastructure that’s involved and the cost involved with that. Do you have an idea of the estimated value of those incentives? It’s in the millions. What type of tenants are interested in coming to Springfield? We have retail tenants and restaurant groups that are always looking for the right area to be at. It’s all demographically driven. What do they see in Springfield? I would say how it’s kind of spread out and we have the different municipalities that surround Springfield that helps bring in all the daytime traffic. So, the corridors around the city are very popular and continue to carry a lot of traffic. What other projects do you have planned? We’re working on a fairly large development in Ozark that’s across the street from Lowe’s and Walmart. We have an over 20acre development there, and that’s all incentive driven, too, in the city of Ozark. That’s not blighted property, is it? The state has changed the laws on blighted agricultural properties. We still have incentives that we can do for (community improvement districts) and tax abatements for the infrastructure cost. What will be developed there? We’re dealing with national tenants: retail, grocer, restaurant groups. It’s kind of a diversity stop. Hotels. [Highway] 65 is being expanded now all the way to South Street, Business 14, so that’ll help continue to carry that traffic. It’ll be six lanes of traffic going toward there and then the (Missouri Department of Transportation) and the county and the city has approved all South Street from 65 going east, so now there’s five lanes with a turning lane. It’s probably two years from the tenants opening. Can you share any names of tenants? Not at this time. Branson city officials have said they made changes to their development process and are now open for business. There’s been a thought that Springfield is not as business friendly as neighboring communities. Do you have that sense of that challenge and opportunity? We have projects in Branson and currently doing projects at Branson, and they’ve been very open to do it. Springfield has a little more layers than Branson does, so it takes a little longer to get things done or pushed through the city. I think they’re in the process of trying to work on that development process and trying to speed it up a little bit. It’s more of having the correct people there to answer questions and to move things forward in a timely manner that we as developers are always trying to accomplish a fast way to get things done because it’s a slow process. What projects do you have in Branson? I’m working with some national food tenants on a couple of projects that we’re doing across from the Chick-fil-A development that I was involved with. No names yet, but close. What’s the status on Crumbl Cookies opening at the northwest corner of Glenstone and Sunshine? They had projected a late 2023 opening. They’re shooting for early March. It’ll draw a lot. And they’re working on a Crumbl Cookies on that south side of town, too. It’s a different licensed franchisee. brad thessing Owner, Thessing Commercial Properties LLC A CONVERSATION WITH ... REBECCA GREEN Excerpts from an interview by Executive Editor Christine Temple, ctemple@sbj.net Our IT isn’t just about technology. It’s about you. 417-831-1700 / pcnetinc.com Learn More About Managed IT Services
SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 13 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 FOCUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 417.449.CPAs (2727) abacus.cpa 25 Years of Better Guidance. Smarter Decisions. 1 0 = c + _ x +/- % / 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Stop complaining about the new workforce They don’t show up for scheduled interviews and when they do, they don’t know anything about your company. They have terrible soft skills and some even bring friends to their interview for support. Even when you find a good one, they often quit before they start but forget to notify you. When you do manage to find one who shows up for work, they start making demands on day one. This example was shared at a conference: A new employee approached the company CEO and demanded her favorite candy bar delivered to her desk every day. When the CEO decided to oblige, the employee complained that he had selected miniature-size candy. What is making all this worse is that we need this new generation in the workforce so badly. The continued development of our economy depends on it. The great “sansdemic” is still upon us: We don’t have enough workers to replace the retiring baby boomers. It’s a long-term and predictable shortage in generational numbers that will continue to get worse through the rest of this decade. A few years ago, I bought a new car. I priced the various options and went to the dealer to present my demands. The dealer fell all over themselves trying to meet my demands because the car lot was full, and they wanted to move some vehicles. This year, I bought another car, and the market was completely different. There were no options. The dealer gave me a price and didn’t really seem to care if I took it or not because there were so many other buyers waiting to get their limited supply. The supply of workers is low, and the employees can feel the power shift. I hear a lot of executives complaining about the new generation of the workforce. Many ask my advice. My advice is simple: Get over it. Complaining about an entire generation of the workforce is simply not helpful and creates exhaustion. Furthermore, the new generation (as well as every new generation before it) has already heard it, and they are getting tired of it. I recently spoke to an employee who is in his early 20s. This person is the model of what you want in an employee. He works very hard. He even spends much of his off time sharpening his skills through mentors and by studying his craft. Yet, his employer recently made major changes to his benefits package while explaining to him that it is just policy. It doesn’t feel like policy to him. It feels personal. Here is the brutal truth. We often don’t treat our new employees well. We roll our eyes at their ideas, we put them in their place, and we scoff at their lack of punctuation in text messages and their desire to take weekends off. Millennials and Gen Zers share a common trait in that they are both intolerant of bad management. Telling them that they are lazy and need to earn their place at the table is simply not how people work best. If you think all your younger workers are lazy, then psychology tells us that you will look for and find laziness in your young workers. What is worse, you’ll manage them as if they are lazy, and they will lower themselves to meet your expectations. Conversely, if you find ways to engage your young workforce and set proper expectations, they will rise to the occasion. I have seen many Gen Zers work extremely hard and become fiercely dedicated to their employers. I’m not talking about coddling them, which leads to entitlement. I’m talking about truly engaging your young workers by getting to know them, challenging them, and recognizing what they bring to the table. The employment market has shifted, and we are hearing weird hiring stories regarding employees of all generations but especially of the new generation. Employees are feeling their power at the hiring table. At the same time, we are seeing managers and executives get frustrated, creating a less-than-ideal work environment that fulfills their negative prophecy of laziness and entitlement. Get over it. Treat your people like they will be successful, and most will be. It’s too hard to truly develop a workforce if you dislike the people you are developing. Don Harkey is the owner and CEO of People Centric Consulting Group LLC. He can be reached at donharkey@peopleccg.com. INDUSTRY INSIGHT Don Harkey We need this new generation in the workforce so badly. The development of our economy depends on it. Power Shift
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