MARCH 4-10, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 3 NEWS CONTENTS Banking officials say the industry likely will remain conservative this year amid uncertain economic factors. page 9 Banking & Finance Open for Business Craft cocktails are the center of attention at a new lounge in Republic. page 4 No Ceiling Christina Ford shares the story of starting a nonprofit to support survivors of domestic violence alongside her own healing journey in this women leadership podcast. page 7 Men of the Year SBJ announces the 2024 class of honorees. page 8 Opinion Page Digital Editor Geoff Pickle researches what it would take for Springfield to get a Trader Joe’s. page 29 TAWNIE WILSON BUSINESS BOOMING Angie Teel, general manager of the Branson Convention Center, says the facility has something happening on 85% of days of the year, on average. Legislation would expand doctoral programs beyond University of Missouri See BILL on page 30 Senate bill proposes top degrees from other public universities Lincoln Hough: Legislation opens options for students who don’t live close to MU campus. by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net A bill proposed by Missouri Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, would allow more public universities to offer doctoral programs. Senate Bill 749 proposes to repeal a state law that names the University of Missouri the exclusive grantor of research doctorates and certain professional degrees, including dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. The bill also would eliminate a provision limiting chiropractic and osteopathic medicine and engineering degrees to Mizzou alone. As a result, public institutions like Missouri State University would be able to expand its offerings of doctoral and professional degree programs. The measure would apply to all 13 of the state’s public four-year universities. Programs would have to be approved by the state’s Coordinating Board for Higher Education, Hough said. “It’s a big state, and a lot of folks aren’t close to a University of Missouri campus,” Hough said. “This would just open up those programs.” As an example, passage of the bill would mean that a student in the Missouri Bootheel would have easier access to an advanced degree in engineering. “It’s giving students in that area the option to utilize a program they may not have had access to,” he said. Hough said the intention of his legislation is not to grab programs from Mizzou, though he noted MU has offered the most concerted opposition to the measure. “There’s still a process for the coordinating A Tale of Two Convention Centers Officials say Branson’s convention picture is bright, but Springfield’s needs work by Karen Craigo · kcraigo@sbj.net For national organizations and industries looking to host a convention in a central location, a look at the map suggests southwest Missouri as an option. The city of Branson has been able to capitalize on its geographical advantage, with the Branson Convention Center bringing in 145 events and more than 226,000 people in 2023, according to General Manager Angie Teel. Teel, who crunched the numbers with the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Inc. officials, said the Branson Convention Center’s estimated economic impact in 2023 was $57.5 million. Teel attributed the success of the center to three factors: location, location and location. “We’re right in the heart of the Midwest, close to Oklahoma, Arkansas, southwest Missouri,” she said. “That definitely bodes well for us.” Teel said an expansion of the facility is under discussion, though officials are not ready to release details. Springfield may have a few advantages for convention planners that Branson does See CENTERS on page 20
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