Game Changers: Shawn Askinosie

Shawn Askinosie turned heads when he maneuvered to chocolate from criminal defense law, and now, he’s on Oprah’s radar. Askinosie spent 20 years as a high-profile criminal defense attorney with murder trials featured on Court TV and NBC’s “Dateline.” In 2001, he was named a Missouri Lawyers Weekly Lawyer of the Year.

After two years studying the science of chocolate, Askinosie in May 2007 opened Askinosie Chocolate, a small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate factory on Commercial Street. The chocolate is made from beans grown by cacao farmers in Ecuador, Mexico and the Philippines, and Askinosie has committed to profit-sharing and paying above fair trade. The July 7 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine names Askinosie among 14 men “saving the world” for his fundraising efforts in Tanzania.

One of SBJ's 31 Game Changers in conjunction with Springfield Business Journal's 31st anniversary.
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