Jeff Seifried took the reins of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau on March 2 after working nearly eight years as manager of regional development at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. The former Springfield City Councilman leads an organization with 35 workers and an annual operating budget of $12.5 million. He succeeds Ross Summers, who retired in October after 12 years on the post. In his first month on the job, Taney County Commissioners approved $500,000 in risk-abatement funds for air-service development, and the chamber and CVB worked closely with Virgin America on an April Fools’ joke that garnered national attention.
South on Hwy. 65 “It was a tough decision at first because of the unwinding of the politics I had been involved in. At first, (I) thought of cutting off or losing the connections I had made in Springfield. But the connections I’ve made and the political environment I’d been in are really serving me well in the new position. My focus was involvement in marketing and executing our regional economic development program, which is a 10-county economic development program of the Springfield chamber of commerce. … I had worked with all of the cities and counties within that 10-county area (and) with staff members here, so I was familiar with (Summers) and Lynn Berry and others.”
Out and About “The routine really is getting out into the community and hearing from not only our members on the chamber side, but also community stakeholders across the area, and finding out what’s important to them, as well as what their view of the chamber and CVB is. So, getting some feedback. As I near the 90-day mark, I look forward to going back to our board and reporting those findings and coming up with a strategy. … Successful chambers of commerce around the country do a couple of things really well. One is they set the table for discussions about progress, and the other thing they do well is they are always at the table driving discussions and framing those as being the voice of business. … You don’t learn anything by sitting in your office. You don’t get a feel for the community by sitting in the office, and you sure can’t help solve tomorrow’s business problems.”
A 12-month Economy “That’s a focus and vision that had started a long time ago before I came here. … That’s top of mind: How do we continue to move forward on creating a stronger 12-month economy? … As Branson continues to build on its past success, we have a lot in the hopper. Our community is faced with revitalizing Highway 76. That will continue to play out. Public dollars attract private investment and that $100 million streetscape project will be a game changer for us. We’ve also got to find ways to continue to develop air service at the airport. There’s a lot in the works here that could really define the next 20 to 30 years of Branson success.”
Airport: Private vs. Public “I can’t speak for (Branson Airport), but I think the advantages of running a private airport far outweigh the constraints of a public airport. I don’t know, but I don’t see that happening. That’s not part of their vision. They are private and that allows them to provide a unique set of flexibility and services that public airports can’t provide.”
Branson to Branson, etc. “It has been extremely positive. I have received one phone call and one email from residents who shared concern over our community image as this has played out. Across the country, we have received more than 150 media requests for interviews. We’ve had media interests saying they’re going to come to Branson to do a story. We do feel tourism will be up this year. … We are very optimistic that we will beat last year’s numbers, and that goes back to many factors including fuel prices across the country.”
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
