2025 Economic Impact Awards 1-10 Years in Business: Next Level Solutions

Owning a business means making a lot of sacrifices, but it also means making a lot of purposeful choices.

For example, for Next Level Solutions, the choice for its headquarters could not have been more obvious. Choosing Springfield also meant choosing to invest in the city, and founders Chris Sawyer and Michael Smith knew that from the beginning.

In seven years, the business has grown from just a handful of people to a global workforce of 325, with 165 located here in the city where it started. For Next Level Solutions, reinvesting in the Queen City was not a difficult decision. From increasing local hiring to expanding into a bigger office, the business investments came first, but as the company grew, so did the community investments.

“We had a growing company, and we just really felt passionate about giving back to our employees and our community,” says Hailey Kolstad, public relations manager. “It’s all in our mission statement that was created when we had 10 employees. We said we wanted to do good work for our clients, for employees and for our community, and we’ve really homed in on that in the last handful of years.”

Next Level Solutions has made a big impact on the community, especially when it comes to cancer-related charities. Michael Smith, the chief operating officer and managing partner of Next Level, was on the board of the American Cancer Society for three years, and when his term was up, Kolstad took his place. They’ve also started a nonprofit organization called ShoreUp, which helps people cover expenses related to their cancer fights that aren’t covered by their insurance plans.

Other community charities that Next Level Solutions supports as a business include Big Brother, Big Sisters, and the American Cancer Society through the Men Wear Pink program, for which Smith has raised over $85,000 in the last three years.

“What drives and motivates me is being able to not only share what we’re doing with the employees and the whole company, but also getting the buy-in,” says Smith. “[Our employees] also want to give back. They also want to be a part of the things that we’re doing.”

The giving spirit at Next Level Solutions is infectious and has spurred friendly competition among local business leaders.

“I think it’s been really interesting and encouraging to see other companies see how we show up in the community,” says Kolstad. “I know there’s one individual in town who always jokes that he’s coming for Michael’s No. 1 spot in Men Wear Pink. In the grand scheme of things, all that does is bring another $50,000 to the American Cancer Society. I’m really proud of that.”