Coffee Break: Judges name finalists for SBJ Economic Impact Awards

Springfield Business Journal's 2001 Economic Impact Awards are off to an impressive start with the announcement of this year's finalists.

SBJ presented its first Economic Impact Awards during a banquet at The Tower Club on July 20 last year, honoring companies in the categories of Retail, Financial Services, Telecommunications, Real Estate and Information Technology, and singling out an individual for the Lifetime Achievement in Business Award.

The winners of the 2000 Economic Impact Awards, respectively, were Nixa Hardware, Liberty Bank, ProTel Communication Systems, Murney Associates, Realtors, and Jack Henry & Associates.

Capping off the evening, developer and philanthropist John Q. Hammons was honored with the Lifetime Achievement in Business Award.

A panel of five judges longtime residents who are experts in business management and economic development selected the honorees, and SBJ was privileged to have all five judges return for the 2001 awards.

Making up the panel are Greg Williams, vice president of economic development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Charles E. Pettijohn, professor of marketing and Distinguished Research Fellow at Southwest Missouri State University; Jane Peterson, director of the Small Business Development Center at SMSU; Ann Peck, community development loan officer for the city of Springfield; and Jane Hood, project manager for the Missouri Department of Economic Develop-ment's Southwest Regional Office in Springfield.

This year, the judges once again have had their work cut out for them. From a total of 39 nominees, the panel has narrowed the field to three finalists in each of this year's five categories.

Construction

The finalists are Morelock-Ross Builders, MoDoCo Inc. and Journagan Construction Co.

Manufacturing

The finalists are Willow Brook Foods, Litton Interconnect Technologies and Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation.

Health Care

The finalists are Cox Health Systems, Access Home Health Agency Inc. and St. John's Health System.

Automotive

The finalists are Don Wessel Oldsmobile-Honda-Suzuki Inc., Team Motorsports Inc. and Thompson Pontiac-GMC-Cadillac.

Advertising & Media

The finalists are Noble & Associates, Riley Marketing Inc. and KY3 Inc.

Meanwhile, there were six nominees for the Lifetime Achievement in Business Award, each of whom will be profiled in a future issue of SBJ: Carol Jones, Ralph Manley, Mary Kay Meek, Jane Meyer, Patti Penny and Jack Stack.

Faced with such an outstanding slate of candidates in all categories, it seems impossible to choose which is why we are grateful to have such a canny group of judges.

The judges' decisions will be announced at the gala Economic Impact Awards banquet to be held 5:30-9:30 p.m. July 26 at The Tower Club, 901 E. St. Louis St.

Missouri Gov. Bob Holden will be in attendance, and Fred Martels, president of People Solution Strategies in St. Louis, will be the keynote speaker.

Tickets to the event are now available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are $37.50 each or $335 for a table of 10. More information about tickets or sponsorships for the event is available from Debra Fickbohm, special products coordinator, at 417-831-3238 or by e-mail at dfickbohm@sbj.net.