2025 Economic Impact Awards 1-10 Years in Business: Keep Supply

When it comes to keeping cool in all kinds of economic headwinds, Keep Supply has the market cornered. The industrial parts supplier for food, beverage, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturers has been a growing member of the Springfield business community since 2017, focusing on three big things: supplying parts and equipment to clients, giving back to the community, and creating a workplace where growth of the company starts with growth of its employees.

Keep Supply’s 113 employees, 103 of which are local, are involved in a training system and business philosophy known as The Great Game of Business, which teaches financial and business fundamentals, so they better understand how their contributions affect the company – and the community – giving them more significant buy-in to their roles.

“Everything about Keep Supply is structured around our people, because we know that that’s who’s going to drive our business,” says Lindsay Bauer, director of people and culture. “If I had to choose one thing that I think really, really contributes to our growth, it’s that our focus is solely on people, whether that’s our employees, our customers or our vendors.”

This is also evident in how Keep Supply supports its employees. Not only does it maintain an employee net promoter score of 75, indicating that it has a world class company culture, it makes life a lot easier for its employees by paying 100% for team members’ medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as ensuring they are compensated well compared to the local average.

But, of course, Keep Supply doesn’t keep its economic contributions solely in-house. The company sponsors Leadership Springfield, as well as having leaders on multiple Leadership Springfield committees, and it gives to the community in other direct ways. Keep Supply is involved in at least two donation drives yearly, one is a toy drive and the other is either a food or hygiene drive. In 2024, donations went to Crosslines and Toy for Tots, as well as an extra donation to the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks when it had a call for emergency help. The team is also sponsoring the United Way Day of Caring this year.

“Our whole goal is to make people’s lives easier,” says Bauer. “Our mission is to ‘be the best part,’ and everything we do is centered around literally being the best part in everything we encounter. So whether that’s for each other, whether that’s for our customers, whether it’s for our vendors, there is a real focus around our mission and how we’re going to accomplish it.”

All of this is made easier when you’re continuing to grow and change, as Keep Supply’s recent move to 117 Park Central Square in downtown Springfield will make possible. The new space is roughly 34,000 square feet, allowing for more room for an expanding workforce. It plans to add a total of 15 positions in 2025, and another 100 over the next several years.