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Opinion: Hammons' surprise funeral tops SBJ.net 2013 traffic

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It’s fitting one of the biggest names in Springfield history should land at the top of SBJ.net’s most popular stories of 2013.

A look into the funeral proceedings following the death of business icon, hotelier and philanthropist John Q. Hammons sits atop the list.

Analyzing the Top 10 stories, the most viewed this year mark notable endings, beginnings and significant changes to the area’s business landscape.

Here’s the list – seven out of 10 were breaking news stories – ranked by number of online page views.

1. “Private Hammons funeral surprises family, friends”
Springfield lost one of its most famous names and important stakeholders on May 26, when Hammons died in Springfield at age 94. With such a huge name, a large funeral could reasonably be expected. According to some friends and family, though, this did not come to pass. The company he left behind, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, assisted in coordinating a private burial in Hammons’ hometown of Fairview three days after his death, but reportedly left out some family members and close friends. Scott Tarwater, who worked for more than 20 years under Hammons, was among those not invited to attend the private service. A public memorial was held in June at Missouri State University’s JQH Arena.

2. “Ozarks businessman indicted for fraud”
In February, a federal grand jury issued a 17-count indictment against Ozarks banker Richard T. Gregg. The indictment charged him with bank fraud, money laundering, wire fraud and bankruptcy fraud. Gregg faces up to 65 years in prison and fines up to $1.75 million, along with restitution payments, for the felony allegations, which claim two banks might have shut down because of his actions. Gregg was the principal shareholder and director of Southwest Community Bank in Springfield, which failed in 2010, and he and his wife also were majority shareholders of Glasgow Savings Bank in mid-Missouri before the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. shut it down in mid-2012.

3. “Springfield accounting firms plan merger”
KPM CPAs PC and Davis, Lynn & Moots PC announced in September plans to merge at the start of 2014. The merged entity, which would operate under the name KPM CPAs, would have roughly 90 employees. In late 2014, the combined firm is slated to move into a larger headquarters being built on East Republic Road by Bill Beall Co., which will lease space to the firm.

4. “Killian Construction president vacates post”
After five years with Killian Construction Co., President John Ghirardelli left the company. In May, SBJ reported on the absence, though officials were silent on the reasons for his exit. Company CEO Bill Killian resumed his role as president, which he had held for 20 years.

5. “Bloomberg pins Johnny Morris fortune at $2.8B”
The fortune of the media shy founder of Bass Pro Shops had been tightly kept under wraps. This year, news spread of his wealth, and it’s a significant chunk of change. Bloomberg reported Morris’ wealth at $2.8 billion based on data compiled during the summer. A separate report, released in October by global financial research and database firm Wealth-X, put Morris’ net worth at $3.8 billion, calling him the wealthiest Missourian.

6. “JQH veteran exits O’Reilly Hospitality”
After two years at JQH Hotels rival O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC, Tarwater stepped down as chief development officer of the company this summer. Tarwater worked by Hammons’ side before the hotelier left daily work at the top post because of health reasons. Following a 2010 exit, which coincided with Jacquie Dowdy’s rise to CEO, Tarwater led a group of former JQH employees to O’Reilly Hospitality.

7. “Cavner starts independent practice”
A whirlwind of activity surrounded Springfield financial adviser Nadia Cavner this year. After pleading guilty to a felony interstate stalking charge in April and separating from BancorpSouth, Cavner announced plans to launch an independent practice immediately southeast of the East Sunshine Street BancorpSouth branch where she had practiced. In August, Cavner was sentenced to five years of probation, including six months under house arrest. The future of her securities licensing is unclear, as Cavner and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority officials declined comment, but she continues to be listed as an active broker through FINRA.

8. “HBA loses second CEO this year”
The Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield has struggled to fill the shoes of Matt Morrow, who resigned as CEO of the organization in late 2012 after nearly 12 years at the helm. He was succeeded by Gloria Roling, who resigned in April after three months, and her replacement, Ken Thrasher, started July 1 and resigned four months later. The HBA board has since decided not to hire another CEO and instead divvy out responsibilities among the organization’s current staff members.

9. “CoxHealth responds to death of physician”
The Springfield health system activated its critical incident stress management team to work with hospital colleagues and friends of CoxHealth hospitalist Dr. Rudolph Fajardo, who was found dead in his southeast Springfield home in November. When police officers arrived on the scene, they discovered Fajardo and his wife, Stephanie, were dead and called the incident an apparent murder-suicide.

10. “Cavner stays mum on felony case details”
There was some deliberation in our newsroom whether Cavner would keep her scheduled May 21 live interview for SBJ’s 12 People You Need to Know editorial series. She did, but stayed largely mum on how the felony charges might impact her business when questioned before an audience by SBJ Editor Eric Olson. She pleaded guilty April 12, acknowledging intentions to injure, harass or intimidate her college-age daughter’s ex-boyfriend.

Springfield Business Journal Web Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]

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