During Jim Anderson’s 312th board meeting as president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, he revealed his retirement plan and gave the board a loose timeline of four or five months to find his successor.
After 26 years at the helm, Anderson began his big announcement day informing chamber staff members during a 10 a.m. meeting Feb. 18, followed by a 2:30 p.m. executive committee meeting and the full board an hour later.
“My concern has been staying too long. There are examples of people who have stayed too long,” Anderson, 64, said. “The life expectancy in this job is usually three to four years.”
Anderson’s role in the position has spanned four decades. He joined the chamber staff in 1988.
Former Greene County Commissioner Dave Coonrod learned of the retirement plans earlier in the day Feb. 18 from an email Anderson sent to business associates.
“I had a feeling he was moving this direction. He took a sabbatical last summer,” said Coonrod, a former ex-officio chamber board member.
Calling the decision the most difficult he’s made, Anderson said he’s thought it through the past year and initially decided he’d retire in mid- to late 2015. He moved up his target date to this year before spending his sabbatical last year on an Alaskan cruise.
Anderson said he gave advanced notice to 2014 chamber Chairman Jeff Schrag, Chairman-Elect Tom Hilmes and Past Chairman Brian Fogle, and chose the February board meeting so not to distract from the annual chamber meeting at the end of January.
Coonrod, who is semiretired but consulting on conservation matters for Bass Pro Shops, said he was with Anderson and lobbyist Scott Marrs, along with their wives, at Big Cedar Lodge the weekend before his announcement. Coonrod said Anderson stayed mum on his plans.
“When he keeps a secret, boy, you can count on it,” Coonrod said.
Relationships, relationships, relationshipsWhile the chamber board assembles a presidential search committee, there are a few key statistics awaiting Anderson’s successor:
- 2,156 chamber members;
- a $3.5 million annual operating budget, including Springfield Business Development Corp., the chamber’s economic development subsidiary;
- 25 staff members; and
- $1 million in cash reserves and investments, including SBDC.
“We work at that. That’s not happened by accident,” Anderson said of the reserves, noting the chamber currently operates free of debt.
Acknowledging the chamber’s next-generation leader would have to stay attuned to technology trends and public-private partnerships, as well as corporate and talent recruitment and retention, Anderson said quality relationships drove his career.
“The world is different, the world is changing, and I’ve kept up with that change,” Anderson said. “Underpinning everything has been the tremendous relationships. From forging those relationships have come the successes we’ve had, if we’ve had success. That’s what life is all about.”
With the county, Coonrod worked side by side with Anderson in creating Springfield’s Partnership for Economic Development that spawned the industrial centers that flank the east and west sides of the city.
“He’s got a lot of great contacts. Here’s a guy who has the ear of the governor,” Coonrod said.
He said Anderson’s leadership style was quiet and reserved but pungent when necessary. “It was always for the best of the Springfield area,” he said.
Anderson has advocated for education and transportation as economic development issues and served eight years on the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. In 2012, his leadership brought widespread recognition when the Springfield chamber earned state and national chamber of the year awards.
“Jim Anderson is a master at fostering collaboration and building consensus,” said Jeff Schrag, the chamber’s 2014 chairman, in a news release. “Jim’s vision and leadership has been key to enhancing our local economy and quality of life. In the process, he grew the reputation and visibility of the chamber.”
Anderson’s personal accolades include the chamber’s own 2005 Springfieldian, 2006 Missourian Award and Springfield Business Journal’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement in Business honor.
Next chapterAnderson said another job is in the works, even as he prepares to turn 65 this year.
“It’s really a transition for me. I can’t quit cold turkey,” he said. “I’ll do something else here in town.”
He’s historically turned down invitations to join the boards of banks, hospitals and colleges in order to remain impartial to chamber members. That door swings open, now.
“Literally, yesterday, I got an invite to get on a bank board. It didn’t take long,” he said, declining to disclose the bank while he considers the offer. “I’m going to be involved.”
Involvement has been a hallmark of Anderson’s career.
Counting chamber meetings and other events, Anderson estimates he’s attended more than 20,000 community functions wearing the chamber hat. He attended the Minority in Business Heritage Awards banquet hours after announcing his retirement.
“Maybe I don’t have to do all that stuff, but that is what’s expected. It is important to be visible in the community.
“That is a lot of banquet chicken to eat,” he joked. “It’s time to go.”
Chamber officials said they would appoint a presidential search committee to conduct a national search to fill the position.
In the neighboring city of Republic, Planning and Development Director Gail Noggle said she’d like to see the next Springfield chamber president follow in Anderson’s footsteps with concern for regional growth.
“There was something infectious about Jim’s delivery and if that delivery was about the vision of the Springfield community, the metropolitan area or the region, he had a wonderful ability to get everybody on board,” said Noggle, who was hired by the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, then a division of the chamber, the same year Anderson started. “That would be one of the main attributes that next president of the chamber would need to have. I’m sure that will be at the top of their list when recruiting.”
To his yet-to-be named successor, Anderson said, “This is the best job in Springfield. It’s been a distinct honor and privilege to serve this chamber for 26 years.”[[In-content Ad]]
