The man hired to lead sales and marketing efforts for the Springfield Cardinals since the team's inception is leaving his post to become the newest partner in the Morelock-Ross Group of Cos.
Kirk Elmquist, vice president of sales and marketing for the minor-league team since 2004, will join the Springfield-based family of six companies, which includes Morelock-Ross Builders, Morelock-Ross Properties and Morelock-Ross Properties Management, on Oct. 5. His responsibilities will include business development and community relations.
Elmquist said he was caught off-guard when Morelock-Ross co-owner Wayne Morelock offered him the partnership during an advertising meeting earlier this summer. Morelock co-owns Morelock-Ross Group with longtime partner Kenny Ross.
"I was blown away at the opportunity," Elmquist said.
Morelock said he'd always thought Elmquist would be a good fit for the company, but had never acted on the instinct - until now.
"I guess a lightning bolt struck me," he joked.
Elmquist said his ownership in Morelock-Ross will consist of any new business he generates for the companies, which also include Burrito Concepts LLC, an owner and operator of 10 Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants in three states, and Pointe Seven, a luxury condominium project being developed at Table Rock Lake.
After two months of hammering out the details, Elmquist said he entered into an agreement with Morelock-Ross that establishes his salary and general job responsibilities. Additionally, his ownership interest in future projects will be determined on a case-by-case contractual basis, he said.
Prior to joining the Cards, Elmquist was marketing director for Millwood Golf and Racquet Club, where he was involved in real estate sales.
"I knew a little bit about what they were trying to accomplish," Elmquist said.
Morelock said Elmquist - a friend for more than 10 years - wasn't deterred by the downturn in the housing and construction sectors.
"Our industries are facing issues, but I think ... that could have been what excited him, because of the challenges in our market," Morelock said. "When a market goes flat, which it has, the comeback can be a very exciting thing."
Elmquist appears eager to tackle the transition.
"I think unique times call for unique decisions, and this is something they've never had at their corporation," he said.
Morelock and Ross started Morelock-Ross Builders Inc. with no initial investment in 1982, according to past Springfield Business Journal coverage. Three years later, the company moved to 722 W. Olive St., where it has remained for the last 24 years. Today, Morelock-Ross Group employs 70 people and has enjoyed roughly 10 percent annual revenue growth for the past eight to 10 years, Morelock said, noting that construction volume in 2008 was $83 million.
Having Elmquist on board will help the company spread out the shared responsibility of cultivating new business relationships, Morelock said.
"Kenny and I have been focusing very much in the last year, year and a half, on a sales force," he said. "He and I tend to be the sales force, and as the company has grown and the demands on our time are greater for administration, it's been more important we had somebody focused on ... business development."
At some point, Morelock said he and Ross would step back from day-to-day operations, but not anytime soon.
"Inevitably, that's something that needs to happen," Morelock said. "I feel like I'm old as Methuselah, but both of us are just 54, so we've got time to think it out. I think we would hope the business would survive beyond us."
Cards General Manager Matt Gifford said there are no immediate plans to fill Elmquist's position.
The departure, however, will give the team an opportunity to re-evaluate its marketing plan and how the sales and marketing director slot is configured, he said, noting that filling Elmquist's shoes won't be easy.
"He's been a huge part of the organization," Gifford said.
While the decision to leave the team was a tough one, Elmquist said he was ready for a career move.
"Working with Matt Gifford has been an absolute phenomenal opportunity for me," he said. "Certainly, there's some sadness there, but I'll always be a Cardinal. ... I've worked my tail off there for five years."
Elmquist came to Springfield in 1997 to serve as associate executive director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Price Cutter Charity Championship. From 2001-03, he was general manager of Chardonnay Restaurant, which closed in 2005.
