Economic Impact Awards draws 300 to Tower Club

The Economic Impact Awards – held 21 floors above Springfield at the exclusive Tower Club – was served with a twist this year. It featured new categories for Entrepreneur of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Nonprofit of the Year. The regulars returned but were packaged into three categories: Retail/Wholesale, Construction/Manufacturing and Services.

The new categories, particularly the Entrepreneur of the Year, attracted at least one attendee.

“I wanted to see what the competition was and what caliber of company and person was making that kind of mark on the community,” said Jason Graf, an entrepreneur himself as co-owner of Graf Financial Services in Springfield.

Graf said he walked away from the event appreciating the advice of Lifetime in Business honoree Edwin C. Rice, chairman and CEO of 100-year-old Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co., who said those in business should value information, honesty, conscience and community in their daily works.

“You can learn a lot from an individual like that,” Graf said of Rice’s 60-year career.

In his acceptance speech, Rice joked that after all these years he’d acquired valuable knowledge but now wouldn’t have an audience to share it with because his career was winding down. “Now I’m only chairman of the board,” he said, drawing laughs from the crowd.

Perhaps more memorable was Rice’s reminder that “there’s more gold in the mine” at the workplace.

Rice joins past Lifetime Achievement recipients John Q. Hammons, Jack Stack, Ralph Manley, Charlie O’Reilly and Larry Wallis.

Retail/Wholesale: O’Reilly

2005 is becoming a memorable year for O’Reilly Automotive. Already marked by the passing of co-founder Chub O’Reilly, a substantial acquisition, and record revenues and earnings growth, company officials can add an Economic Impact Award to the significant events of the year.

O’Reilly beat out Retail/Wholesale finalists Town & County and Wheeler’s Furniture. Based partly on 2004 data, judges recognized O’Reilly’s $1.72 billion sales, 140 new stores and community involvement including a golf tournament that netted $90,000 for five area charities and another at least $75,000 donated by the O’Reilly Family Foundation. The company’s stock (Nasdaq: ORLY) has posted 12 consecutive years of record earnings.

Construction/Manufacturing: Kraft

Kraft Foods chose Springfield as a production site 66 years ago. Kraft officials believe company founders would be proud of where the Springfield plant is today.

Its current plant manager Joe Metzger estimated that the company has a local economic impact of $88 million, considering procurement of raw materials, payroll, utilities, taxes, capital improvements and services. In 2004, Kraft was Springfield’s largest manufacturing employer with 1,200 associates and a payroll of about $50 million. Revenues from the Springfield plant exceeded $750 million.

That was enough to give Kraft the edge over Executive Coach Builders and Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. in the Construction/Manufacturing category.

Services: CoxHealth

CoxHealth is Springfield’s largest employer with 9,376 staff members. Its payroll nears $281 million and rises to almost $352 million factoring benefits. And 2004 revenues topped $745 million.

Enough said.

Beyond the numbers, however, the health system provides integral health care to the Springfield region through its 54 clinics, plus home care, urgent care, behavioral health and four hospitals.

Springfield’s other major hospital St. John’s was in the running for the Services award, along with trucking behemoth Prime.

Entrepreneur: Marisol International

Marisol International LLC might be better recognized globally than it is in Springfield.

That’s because the international logistics and documentation solutions company works with importers worldwide.

In 2004 alone, the Springfield company helped move nearly $454 million-worth of U.S. imports while grossing $60 million in sales.

Entrepreneur of the Year finalists were Ivy League Corporate Services and MaMa Jean’s Natural Market.

Innovator: UMB Bank

UMB Bank has found a winning combination for Springfield’s center city. Through a public-private partnership with the city and Urban Neighborhoods Alliance, the Kansas City-based bank is making loans at below-market rates to help revitalize five center city neighborhoods.

Three custom programs have financed purchases or renovations of approximately 40 properties, representing roughly $1 million of center city investments, according to Bill Owen, UMB’s south central region executive vice president, who spearheaded the Springfield programs.

UMB’s city loan programs are grabbing regional attention. Conversations are ongoing with four communities, with Carthage closest to finalizing, Owen said.

“We’re just trying to fine-tune the

program,” he said. “There’s another one that’s well on its way.”

Officials are keeping those communities under wraps until talks proceed.

Judges

The independent judges for the 2005 EIA were Kim Bartelsmeyer, accountant with Elliott, Robinson & Co.; Paula Glossip, senior vice president of Citizens National Bank; David Keehn, owner/member of eBusiness Solutions Group and founder of Whitlock Selim & Keehn CPAs; and Bill Reser, a retired Empire Bank senior vice president.

SBJ’s next event is the Most Influential Women, set for Oct. 14 at University Plaza. The nomination deadline was July 28.

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