LORE aims to write story for 10-county region 

A name has been announced for the collaborative group of industry leaders charged with leading a regional rebranding effort. 

Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement, or LORE, is a new nonprofit organization with member commitment from multiple CEOs in the Springfield area, but organizers have not yet announced member names. 

The announcement was made at today’s Think Summit 2024 event, sponsored by Biz 417 magazine, in a session by development official Dean Thompson, executive director of regionalism and economic development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and vice president and chief economic development officer for City Utilities of Springfield, and nonprofit leader Erin Danastasio, executive director of the Hatch Foundation. 

In a January interview, Thompson said he was on the phone with leaders to gauge interest in the new nonprofit organization, unnamed at the time, to focus on workforce development, quality of life and branding. 

Apparently, people picked up the phone in C-suites across the region, because the group now has a website, OzarksLORE.org. 

Danastasio said enthusiasm among Think Summit participants was high, both for the organization and its name. 

“The word lore by definition is really about storytelling,” she said. “That was the inspiration behind that piece  – telling our region’s story.” 

Key to the name is the word evolvement, she said. 

“Just because we are focusing on one initiative right now doesn’t mean that initiative is going to be our main focus five years down the road,” she said. 

Danastasio declined to name the initial members of LORE, or even the number of members. She said there will be different levels of membership. 

“That’s where the number gets a little bit tricky,” she said. 

Development specialist Ted Abernathy of Economic Leadership LLC was consulted about the formation of LORE, and he suggested 8-10 members at the board level. Those members would make a $25,000 commitment for a period of three years. Danastasio said a lot of people have approached her and Thompson, at the Think Summit event and elsewhere, to ask to be involved, and other levels of involvement will be available. 

Initially, the group will not have an office, Danastasio said, but will work out of either the offices of Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. or the Hatch Foundation – the two organizations that joined forces to kick off the project – and Thompson has agreed to stay involved in the project.  

“It’s really great, because as we get new members coming together and starting the conversation, we don’t have to worry about hiring an executive director,” she said. “That’s such a big blessing for any organization. The funds we’re collecting can be put toward projects specifically.” 

Danastasio said the names of board members will be announced in May or June. 

SBJ did manage to suss out one business leader who will serve in the group: Kevin Ausburn, CEO of SMC Packaging Group, who mentioned in a March interview that he had been tapped for it. 

“I’m excited,” Ausburn said at the time, noting he was already mulling over the sort of regional issues the group would address. 

LORE is patterned after a similar organization, the Northwest Arkansas Council, which has shaped its region’s development for more than three decades from its home base in Springdale, Arkansas. That organization has a 13-member executive committee and 18 staffers. 

LORE’s website announces the name, emblazoned over a photo of rolling Ozark hills, with the tagline “Writing the Future of Our Region.” An explanation of the organization states, “LORE, Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement, is uniting efforts aimed at improving quality of life and attracting a skilled workforce in the broader Springfield region. LORE aims to catalyze transformative change over the next 20 years, effectively writing the future for our community.” 

A link to a community survey rounds out the page. The survey asks about the region’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats while also seeking to identify names of leaders who are equipped to help lead transformation. 

Additionally, the survey asks for a list of three actions that could transform the region, plus the worst things people could do to impact the region’s future. 

“Some people are going to have the impression that we’re only trying to collaborate or get input from the big players at the CEO level, but really, that’s not true – our goal is to be able to pull in opinions and information from everyone throughout the region,” she said. 

LORE aims to convene members from a 10-county area that already have a working relationship through their membership in the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments. They are Greene, Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties. 

“When we were picking the name, we didn’t want it to say Springfield,” Danastasio said. “A lot of times you hear Springfield, and some of those smaller cities get frustrated. They don’t feel like they’re really part of the team.” 

Members, too, will come from throughout the region and not just the Queen City, she said.