Business Spotlight: Business Journal prepares for next 20 years

Nothing distinguishes a publication more than being "the first." During its 20-year history, the Springfield Business Journal has racked up its share of firsts.

Dianne Elizabeth, president and publisher, came up with the idea to start a business journal in Springfield back in 1979. Elizabeth, along with her partners Martin A. Ross, and Jeanne and Ken Willoughby, pooled their money to start the journal, and July 22, 1980, it became the first weekly business publication to go into production in Missouri.

Originally the publication was called TOP's Executive Journal, with the acronym TOP's standing for The Ozarks' Pulse. The publication's offices were located on East Sunshine, and Elizabeth was the journal's sole full-time employee. She wrote and edited all of the stories, solicited advertising, pasted up the paper and served as the circulation manager while a subcontractor designed and printed the publication.

"The first issue we mailed out was complimentary," Elizabeth said. "It was 16 pages, and a response card was inserted for people to return if they wanted to become subscribers. I'll never forget how I felt when the first response card came back."

Initially, TOP's Executive Journal covered mostly real estate and insurance news. By 1982, the scope of business news covered had broadened, and the publication's name was changed to the Springfield Business Journal.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth had discovered that launching a new publication was much harder than she anticipated. Although two salespeople were added to the staff in late 1980, she still was generating most of the journal's editorial content.

"It was hard at first to recruit people to come and work here because we were an unknown quantity," Elizabeth said. "It also was a challenge to teach people about the value of target marketing. Target marketing was a new concept back in the early 1980s. Most business owners were used to taking a shotgun approach to advertising. It took time to get business owners to realize that although we had a smaller circulation than a general interest publication, we could do a better job of reaching the business and professional people of southwest Missouri."

By 1986, the editorial staff had grown, but Elizabeth found herself facing a new challenge. Computers were revolutionizing the publishing and printing industries. Elizabeth realized if she wanted to stay on top in the highly competitive field of publishing, she would have to make a substantial investment in computer equipment.

The need to retool couldn't have come at a worse time. Elizabeth's original partners had sold or lost interest in the business several years earlier. Now, as the sole owner of the Business Journal, the success or failure of the business depended on her.

"It was a pivotal time," Elizabeth said. "I fell back on my greatest strength persistence."

Elizabeth dug in and solicited advice from several area business leaders. She borrowed money from her family and the bank, and she persevered. By the end of 1986, Elizabeth found an investor, and Jim Sterling, president of Sterling Media in Bolivar, became a minority shareholder in the Springfield Business Journal.

Having the foresight to invest in better equipment helped the Springfield Business Journal grow. Ad sales began to increase and efficiency became the new buzzword. By the time current Advertising Manager Steve Blalock joined the publication in 1990, the Springfield Business Journal was beginning to grow.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was making plans to move the journal to its own building. In 1984, the Business Journal had moved from its location on East Sunshine to new rental offices downtown at 209 E. Walnut St.

In 1995, Elizabeth became the first business owner in Springfield to receive a city facade building loan. The loan was used to renovate a 102-year-old building at 313 Park Central West, which became the headquarters for the Springfield Business Journal.

"I always felt that downtown was the place for us to be because it represented the center of commerce," Elizabeth said. "I also wanted to be in a building that made people want to work here."

Today, 22 staff members run the Springfield Business Journal, which now has a circulation of more than 6,000. According to Dorothy Gardner, vice president of finance, the staff's size has doubled and revenues have nearly tripled during the 12 years she's been with the publication.

"Dianne's role has really evolved since I've been here," Gardner said. "She's held every single job that was needed to put out this publication. Some managers have a hard time letting go, but Dianne's never been that way. She's a team player, she listens, and she gives us the freedom we need to do our jobs."

In 1997, Elizabeth bought out Jim Sterling's interest in the Springfield Business Journal and became the publication's sole owner.

Later that year, Elizabeth's efforts were recognized when the Springfield Business Journal won the first Curtis W. Strube Small Business of the Year Award, which now is presented annually by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Springfield Business Journal of today bears little resemblance to the 16-page publication that was mailed out in 1980. Four-color magazine supplements that cover special topics of interest are produced and inserted in the journal throughout the year.

In 1996, the journal established its own Internet site where it posts daily news updates.

Some things, however, will never change. The Business Journal's primary focus to serve businesses and business leaders continues undeterred. Other business journals have sprung up around the state over the years, but the Springfield Business Journal is still the only locally owned and operated weekly business publication in Missouri.