DED officials note state improvements, challenges at SBDC event

Dennis Wiggins: Finding consensus among local regional collaborators can be challenging.

Missouri has been rising in recent years among Midwestern peer states in key economic metrics such as growth in jobs, gross domestic product and wages, according to the state Department of Economic Development. However, challenges remain to continue momentum statewide in areas such as business development and entrepreneurship, officials with the state agency told attendees March 4 at the Springfield Business Development Corp.’s annual meeting.

Michelle Hataway, DED director, and Jeff Pinkerton, the agency’s director of economic research, provided the keynote address.

They revealed that Show-Me State ranked in the top three among 14 Midwestern states in 2025 for economic core factors, including the unemployment rate. Missouri ranked 11th in 2018.

Hataway and Pinkerton compared Missouri economic rankings in 2018 – the year the DED launched its Best in Midwest initiative – to the years since leading to 2024. Best in Midwest’s goal is to create a new statewide economic development strategy and focus on helping businesses grow and create jobs, while also helping workers access training and acquire employable skills.

From 2010-2017, Missouri’s GDP growth was 0.7%, ranking last among 14 Midwestern states. It also had low rankings in job growth, 11th out of 14 at 3.6%, and had a per-capita income of $44,520, ranking 10th among 14 peer states.

From 2018-2024, Pinkerton said the state’s GDP growth was 2.1%, finishing fourth among Midwestern states. Job growth was 3.3%, and per-capita income increased to $64,740, ranking Missouri seventh among its peer states in both categories.

“Keep in mind, right in the middle of this period of 2018 and 2024, we had the pandemic and a very large recession,” Pinkerton said. “So, some of these numbers would actually probably be higher were it not for that.”

Those areas of improvement contributed to the Show-Me State ranking improvement in 2025. Only Tennessee and Nebraska ranked ahead of Missouri.

“This is not done just by the Department of Economic Development. These are our regional partners – the Springfield chamber, these are chambers all over Missouri,” Hataway said. “COVID was a unique time where choices had to be made, and businesses had to move extremely quickly. We were lucky that Missouri was one of the top states to come out of that because of how quick the decisions were made.”

Pinkerton also pointed out the population growth, noting the Springfield metropolitan statistical area’s growth since 2010 at 14% is outpacing the southwest Missouri region’s 10% increase and the state’s 4% rise over the same period.

“You’re seeing not just here in Springfield, but throughout the Southwest region, this whole area is starting to really come around,” he said. “I think this gets back to that people are looking at quality and affordability and finding this a very valuable place to be.”

The Springfield MSA, comprising Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk and Webster counties, is on the cusp of surpassing the 500,000-population mark, as the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data from 2024 has the metro area at 496,375. The 2025 Census population data will be announced March 26, according to officials with the federal agency.

Hataway was appointed to the department leadership role by then-Gov. Mike Parson in 2024 and reaffirmed for the position by Gov. Mike Kehoe. Pinkerton began working for the DED in 2020.

The SBDC, which works to attract and retain businesses to the Springfield region, is the economic development arm of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Identifying challenges
When it comes to business development, Hataway said the state needs to do a better job at having more available site-ready opportunities for companies “ready to put the shovel in the ground.”

“One of the things we’re currently doing at the department is we’re revamping our site certification process,” she said, adding officials will soon survey those who have participated in the state’s site certification, seeking feedback.

Energy consumption also is a concern at the DED, Pinkerton said, as increased demand impacts economic development. Management consulting company ICF International Inc. estimates U.S. electricity demand will grow 25% from 2023-2030.

In Missouri, Hataway said Senate Bill 4, signed into law last year, in part addresses energy demand through provisions such as prohibiting large load users, defined as using 100 megawatts or more, to pass off unjust cost increases to residential customers.

“So, if I want a higher usage, I’m going to have to pay for that higher usage,” she said, equating the provision to a consumer paying more to have faster shipping with Amazon Prime.

Missouri also needs continued investment in broadband, Pinkerton said, and needs better support for an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship. The DED is trying to address the latter with its Missouri Office of Entrepreneurship, established in 2024. The office was created to promote policies and initiatives to support the growth of entrepreneurship of Missouri-based businesses, according to its website.

Staying focused
Around 474 people attended the SBDC event at University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, according to chamber officials. Chamber President Matt Morrow kicked off the event, noting the organization’s economic development work helped secure six projects in 2025, resulting in over 400 jobs and $96 million in new capital investments.

“Economic development is not something that any of us do as a hobby or on the side,” Morrow said. “It is a core component of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s strategic plan. Two of our four strategic priorities center squarely on this work: leading regional economic development and growing workforce-ready population.”

He said the chamber team also met with nearly 200 local businesses throughout the year, in part to identify challenges and connect them to the tools and resources needed to be successful and expand in the Ozarks.

Jonas Arjes, the chamber’s senior vice president of economic development, noted the event marked the public launch of the website for the Ozarks Regional Economic Partnership, OzarksPartnership.org. The Springfield Regional Economic Partnership rebranded to OREP last year – its original name when launched in 1999 – and still comprises a 10-county region of Greene, Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties. The website includes snapshots of the participating counties, site selection information and a list of major employees in various industries.

Dennis Wiggins, director of business retention and expansion for Taney County Partnership, an initiative designed to attract and retain businesses in the Branson area, attended the annual meeting. He said the state’s ranking improvement among Midwestern states wasn’t surprising to him as he’s been following the data for some time.

“The direction we’re going is certainly encouraging. We’re in a better spot, but we’re not done yet,” he said.

Wiggins said he’s a big believer in regionalism, adding that as metro Springfield’s population grows, collaboration through organizations such as OREP will be key.

“This area is great for collaborating, but having a consensus in the midst of those collaborations, that’s the bigger challenge,” he said. “We have to find a way to come along all together and all be ambassadors for this region. We rise together; we fall together.”