2019 Economic Impact Awards

EDITOR’S NOTE: The honorees of this year’s Economic Impact Awards embody what’s possible when talented people come together with innovative ideas to spur growth for our region. The 2019 companies receiving top honors are a boutique hotel in downtown Springfield, a company focused on renewable energy, a preschool and early education provider, and a longtime health care system. Special thanks to this year’s judges who carefully scored each nominee and a round of applause to this year’s outstanding class of honorees. And thanks to you, our readers, for supporting Springfield Business Journal as we head into our 40th year of business.

—Christine Temple, Features Editor

Here’s the Economic Impact Awards selection process from start to finish:

1. Nominations are submitted from across the community.

2. Nominees are notified and given questionnaires to fill out for judges’ consideration.

3. SBJ selects an independent panel of judges to evaluate each submitted questionnaire, along with a resume and letter of recommendation for individual nominees.

4. Judges individually score each applicant based on their financial performance, community involvement and overall impact on the Ozarks region. 

5. Judges are asked to recuse themselves from scoring any nominee who would be considered a conflict of interest.

6. SBJ tallies all judges’ scores to determine the top company, or companies, in each category. In each of the four categories honoring businesses based on years of service, a top honor is given based on judges’ scores.

7. SBJ announces the honorees and reveals the year’s judges.