Rebecca Green | SBJ

2023 Men of the Year: Paul Satterwhite

Spencer Fane LLP

BY: Nicole Chilton, Contributing Writer

Posted online August 18, 2023 | 2:58 pm

In His Words

Family: Married to Shay Cash, my better half. In her role as the office manager for Cash Family Orthodontics, Shay exhibits leadership characteristics on a daily basis. Our 17-year-old son Graham is a junior at Glendale, and he is the starting catcher for the varsity baseball team. Our 15-year-old daughter Lena Grace is a sophomore at Central, where she patrols the back row for the JV volleyball team. Our youngest, 11-year-old Clara, is in the Springfield Scholars Program at Central and is chasing her dream of being an astronaut. Our family is rounded out by our sheepadoodle, Minnie, and our brand new poochin puppy, Bunny.
Strange but true fact: I taught middle school for two years in Compton, California, while coaching football, soccer, track and baseball. I developed a lifelong passion for education issues and my love for coaching.
Critical trait in leaders: Humble leaders listen well to others, and they are willing to both receive input and change when necessary. They listen with the intent to understand and learn.

Whether working as a law partner at Spencer Fane LLP, co-owning Ballparks of America LLC or volunteering in the community, Paul Satterwhite is ready to bring his A-game.

“I always bring my drive and passion to the table,” he says.

At Spencer Fane, Satterwhite played a pivotal role in growing the multistate firm’s labor and employment practice. Appointed as the practice group leader in 2017, he steered growth, establishing a footprint in key cities across the country.

“Through this process, we have doubled the size of the group and greatly expanded our bench strength and depth,” Satterwhite says, citing the recruitment of new attorneys in Denver, Houston, Phoenix and Minneapolis.

His involvement in business goes beyond the law firm, when in 2020, Satterwhite and three other Springfield-area businessmen purchased Ballparks of America, a youth baseball tournament venue in Branson. In addition to the risks the group was taking in the venture, they could not expect a global pandemic to hit a month after the purchase.

“We were faced with the unenviable position of needing to keep the doors of a new business open in the height of the pandemic’s travel restrictions that greatly impacted all tourism,” he says. “I immediately jumped in and became deeply involved in recruiting a skeleton crew for the summer of 2020, personally recruiting many of the teams that played that summer and working to give the business a great base for a successful 2021 and beyond.”

Satterwhite’s leadership led to the venue’s resurgence, culminating in recognition with the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & Convention and Visitors Bureau Ambassador Award.

It’s his volunteer work in the community, however, that Satterwhite says provides his greatest fulfillment.

In 2013, Satterwhite was a driving force behind Harmony House’s capital campaign to build its current shelter for survivors of domestic violence. The campaign raised $6.2 million to provide much-needed services for a substantial demand.

In addition to serving as board president for Harmony House, Satterwhite also served on the Discovery Center of Springfield Inc.’s board for seven years, brokering a partnership between The Hamels Foundation Inc. and Springfield Public Schools’ Choice program to place an embedded fifth-grade school on the grounds of the Discovery Center.

“I had the privilege to have my youngest child attend the Discovery School the last two years, as she pursued her love of STEM and her goal of being an astronaut,” he says.

While Satterwhite’s commitments span multiple playing fields, he aims to pursue projects that he is passionate about.

“I hope that one day, when my time on Earth is finished, I will be remembered by the passion with which I lived my life and the difference that I was able to help make in my community and for those who need it most,” he says.