APRIL 22-28, 2024 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 25 I was on assignment when the total solar eclipse wowed me and the rest of the world on April 8. For our upcoming Day in the Life special section – see the April 29 edition – I shadowed CoxHealth President and CEO Max Buetow to get a look inside his typical workday. I won’t spoil anything here, but the day also happened to coincide with the eclipse. On that day, I joined Buetow on top of the parking garage near his office to delight in the rare solar experience. I hoped to see something truly unique in the sky – and I did – but what really hit me was the picture of humanity on the ground. There’s something very humanizing about watching a cosmic event. I felt a bit like an ant on a monumental scale. The view from the parking garage reinforced that idea for me. Buetow was one of hundreds of CoxHealth employees who paused their day to watch the eclipse from the parking garage, and I also spotted health system workers from a nearby building with their eyes to the sky. The parking garage was an interesting mix of people in suits, like Buetow, health care workers in scrubs, patients and at least one journalist, and for a second there, we were all equal below the spectacle in the sky. The uniforms we wore no longer mattered. We were all simply fellow humans. We delighted in the sense of discovery that was present for all to see. When viewing our lives on a cosmic scale, day-to-day problems seem much simpler. I’m hoping to take this feeling forward until the next eclipse. Public records provide an unfiltered look into what’s coming to Springfield. For this edition, I’m taking a look at commercial building permits currently on file with the city. Check SBJ.net for future coverage. Hotel Vandivort 260 E. McDaniel St. Description: Modifying existing rooftop cabana Smoothie King 309 W. Sunshine St. Description: Interior renovation Señor Julian Mexican Bar & Grill 3405 E. Battlefield Road Description: Expansion of restaurant into adjacent space Warby Parker 2825 S. Glenstone Ave. Description: Alteration for new tenant Sam’s Club 745 W. El Camino Alto St. Description: Renovations to existing store Quonset hut 615 W. College St. Description: Renovation of existing Quonset hut for short-term residential use Record Recap Eclipse evokes epiphany at CoxHealth assignment The commercial area northeast of the Sunshine Street and Kansas Expressway intersection once again has a Pizza Hut restaurant in operation. The eatery opened in March at 1705 W. Sunshine St. This must be a lyric from the Talking Heads song “Once in a Lifetime,” because it’s the same as it ever was. That property, vacant since the pandemic, was previously a Pizza Hut. My memory was assisted by Google Maps and by my commute, which gave months of views of renovations taking place at the building. The new restaurant took a multifaceted road to get here. San Francisco-based Flynn Group, a franchisee of brands such as Pizza Hut, Wendy’s and Planet Fitness, is behind the new restaurant through an entity called Hut Missouri LLC, according to records filed with the Greene County assessor and Missouri secretary of state offices. Officials with Flynn Group could not be reached for comment by press time for more details on the project. According to a 2021 Nation’s Restaurant News article, Flynn purchased the assets, including Pizza Hut restaurants, from NPC International Inc., which had filed for bankruptcy. At the time of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2020, Leawood, Kansas-based NPC International had seven Pizza Hut franchises in Springfield. PizzaHut.com now lists six Queen City locations, including the recently opened store at Sunshine and Kansas. The new Pizza Hut also meant the consolidation of a nearby store at 1212 S. Grant Ave., according to signage posted on the property. The Flynn Group, according to its website, has more than 75,000 employees, around 2,600 units and $4.5 billion in annual sales. The story may not be over, as Reuters reported in February that Flynn Group is exploring a majority stake sale that could value the company at more than $5 billion. We’ll see if that has any impact on the new Pizza Hut location. UNTANGLED WEB Internet, public records and technology coverage and analysis Contact Geoff Pickle 417.616.5856 gpickle@sbj.net Connect with me on LinkedIn! Pizza Hut makes way for Pizza Hut at major intersection A new Pizza Hut restaurant is located at the site of a former Pizza Hut just northeast of Sunshine Street and Kansas Expressway. GEOFF PICKLE HEATHER MOSLEY CoxHealth President and CEO Max Buetow on April 8 watches the solar eclipse with other health system employees. Pictured in the back of the photo is yours truly.
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