YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Formerly a state representative serving Barry and portions of Stone and Lawrence counties, Scott Fitzpatrick in late 2018 was named state treasurer by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. He succeeded Eric Schmitt, who Parson appointed as attorney general after Josh Hawley was elected to the U.S. Senate.
As Missouri’s treasurer, Fitzpatrick has led reforms to the state’s linked deposit program, and he oversaw the MO ABLE program last year in reaching a milestone of 1,000 accounts. The program is provided through the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, which allows people with disabilities to save and invest money without losing certain federal benefits.
His responsibilities as treasurer include overseeing a staff of 50 that deal with Missouri’s finances. The office is working to return more than $1 billion in unclaimed property, manage the state’s cash flow and wisely invest the state’s $4 billion cash portfolio. He’s up for reelection this year.
Fitzpatrick’s time in the state House of Representatives prepared him for the role, as he previously chaired the chamber’s budget committee.
During his time as budget chairman, Fitzpatrick says he helped lead the state to triple its budget surplus to nearly $500 million and fully funded Missouri schools for the first time in a decade.
“I wanted those of us in Jefferson City to budget the way we budget at home and in our businesses – making sure we are prepared for unexpected expenses or fluctuations in revenue,” Fitzpatrick says. “I always did my best to work with members of both parties during the budget process and, as such, had strong bipartisan support for the budgets I passed.”
Prior to his work in Jefferson City, Fitzpatrick also started young in the business world. He founded floating boat dock and boat-lift systems company MariCorp U.S. LLC in Shell Knob while he was a high school student. He calls the creation of a business from scratch his proudest accomplishment.
“It is the hardest thing I’ve done, and I am incredibly grateful for that experience as it is a big part of who I am as a person,” he says.
An early opportunity came for Fitzpatrick and his burgeoning company when he was late in his senior year and saw on the news that a storm had damaged docks on Table Rock Lake.
“I called on some of the dock owners and was fortunate to be given the opportunity to bid on rebuilding their docks. I ended up signing a few contracts from that effort and used the cash generated from those projects to purchase more tools and equipment and begin advertising,” Fitzpatrick says. “Now, MariCorp U.S. does business coast to coast and is a leader in the boat dock manufacturing and installation industry.”
Fitzpatrick says through his business and government roles, he’s worked to mentor colleagues and help them grow in their careers. For instance, he hired his college roommate, Kyle Wilkerson, who now is Maricorp’s president and chief operating officer.
“It is also a source of pride to me that I have been able to have a positive impact on my community in southwest Missouri,” he says.
A chance opportunity led to the opening of Nixa’s Haven Games, which this year tripled its storefront space.
Curb Appeal: $21.5M in inventory hits market
Tea Bar & Bites changing ownership
Highway 65 overpass for trail nears construction start
Springfield futsal tournament expected to generate nearly $1M economic impact
Questions remain at MSU as board retains president