2024 Economic Impact Awards 36-74 Years in Business: Arc of the Ozarks

In its 60th year of business, The Arc of the Ozarks expands economic opportunities for its employees and clients – benefiting the community at large. The nonprofit operates on five Springfield campuses and provides 150 independent supported living and group homes for more than 327 clients. It has been named the largest local charitable nonprofit organization in Springfield Business Journal’s list research since 2017.

The Arc opened its Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center in January, the area’s only state-funded facility of its kind. Built with a $5 million matching grant from the Missouri General Assembly, the center created more than 100 jobs in fields including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy and psychotherapy.

“That was a dream back 10, 11, 12 years ago and started off small with just some representatives from Missouri State and Mercy and us dreaming about what could be done,” says President and CEO Michael Powers. “To have it actually come to fruition and to grow and develop and who knows where it’s going to go from here – I’m happy for the families that are getting the services they need.”

The Arc works with researchers studying autism spectrum disorder and offers cutting-edge treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and new methods of care such as remote monitoring. The Arc provides 24-hour care services, an area with typically high turnover rates. To increase retention, the Arc identifies ways to improve quality of employment such as robust health insurance packages and promoting from within through the Growth Academy. In fiscal year 2024, the Arc’s pay for entry-level roles increased by $2 to $20.

“If you take good care of your employees, your employees will take care of the constituencies that we serve,” Powers says. “We don’t have nearly the open positions that we used to.”

The Arc provides employment services to people with disabilities, beginning with its A.M. Donuts & Coffee LLC food truck. It also provides job training and placement with local businesses. This mitigates the cost of long-term care for families while bolstering the workforce.

“They make good employees. They just need a little extra training,” Powers says. “We provide that for businesses. They just need to give them a chance to work there.”

The Arc is debt-free with all funds going to operations. Grants and fundraising account for 2%-3% of the Arc’s budget, with the remainder coming from state and federal contracts. The Arc is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and employs two accreditation surveyors. This allows the nonprofit to observe and apply best practices of similar organizations.

“We are always looking at ways we can better and improve and new ways of doing this that are smarter,” Powers says. “That’s what we’ve always done.”