SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 15 JAN. 29-FEB. 4, 2024 site that’s over 200 acres that we’re working on. Not all of our partners want to disclose the amount they’re investing, so I don’t have an exact amount, but it’s a wide range. Temple: I just heard of a large commercial development coming across from Lowe’s and Walmart [in Ozark]. There are already five or six national retail tenants signed up for that and a hotel that’s going to go into that area. Haseltine: We’ve been working with that project for several years now. Our developer hasn’t shared any of the public information about who’s locating there. I know he has letters of intent. That corner up there is our largest tax revenue in Christian County, so having a development across the way from it would just exacerbate that. It’s really important for our community. Christine Temple: Are you guys seeking out any particular kinds of developments, or what is seeking out this area right now? Morrow: As you hear what each of the parts of the region have as their primary focus in economic development, you hear very complementary segments of the region and that is one of our real great advantages in terms of competing with other parts of the country. Our mix is more industrial and manufacturing. That’s really driven by the sort of specific advantages that the Springfield market has. And also it is driven by the fact that the partners that come together to help support this effort have vested interest in getting that done. For example, because we have a municipally owned utility in City Utilities, it’s good for ratepayers to have industrial heavy-load users here because they pay a higher rate and keep rates down for everybody else. While we primarily focus on those sort of core industrial, it doesn’t mean that we’re not interested in retail and restaurants and the pieces that really most of my family and everybody else are much more interested in when they talk to me about this. As anybody that works in this field knows, those are driven so much by metrics and formulas and algorithms that companies use. What we really want to try to do as much as anything is to try to drive the variables in those formulas for jobs, concentration of households, average income, those kinds of things so that we can all hopefully one day get Cheesecake Factories and everything like that. [Laughs] Haseltine: And Trader Joe’s. Matt Morrow: Goes without saying. Temple: You have to say that name any time you talk economic development. Arjes: Somebody said the other day: My career will not be complete until I get a Trader Joe’s. Morrow: We can all retire. Excerpts by Editorial Intern Jillian Smith, intern@sbj.net. Jonas Arjes and Kristen Haseltine REBECCA GREEN REBECCA GREEN We’re working on trying to get those sites developed so we can land them in Christian County.” —Kristen Haseltine, Show Me Christian County Spencer Fane LLP | spencerfane.com 2144 East Republic Road, Suite B300 Springfield, MO 65804 © 2024 Spencer Fane LLP. The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. With a team of more than 30 attorneys and business professionals, the Spencer Fane Springfield office is positioned to advise 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 We all hope to win more than our region’s fair share as we try to hustle out there.” —Matt Morrow Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce FOCUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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