LORE names members, raises $445K

Last edited 11:46 a.m., March 27, 2025 [Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Central Bank of the Ozarks sponsored LORE at the $25,000 level instead of the $10,000 but then opted against board membership. It also updates the total contributions to reflect that contribution.]

An event this morning unveiled the membership of an organization designed to promote regional collaboration.

Leaders for Ozarks Region Evolvement – LORE – has 18 investors and 15 board members. Entities that donate $25,000 or more are able to secure a board seat for a CEO or other high-level executive at the nonprofit.

LORE has one investor, Mercy Springfield Communities, contributing at the $50,000 leadership circle level. Another 15 have contributed at the $25,000 visionary level, with two giving at the $10,000 associate level, according to Executive Director Dean Thompson.

Of the 16 investors contributing $25,000 or above, 15 opted to have a representative serve as a board member. In total, the investors raised $445,000 for the organization’s mission of workforce development, quality of life and branding in the region, with the promise to renew commitment for each of the next two years.

Those investing at the $25,000 level are Arvest Foundation, Central Bank of the Ozarks, City Utilities of Springfield, Commerce Bancshares Foundation, Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc., CoxHealth, Erlen Group, Forvis Mazars LLP, Great Southern Bank, Hatch Foundation, Missouri State University, O'Reilly Automotive Inc., Ozarks Technical Community College, Silver Dollar City LLC and SRC Holdings Corp. Central Bank of the Ozarks opted not to participate on the board.

Donors at the $10,000 associate level are Drury University and Guaranty Bank.

Investors have agreed to maintain their level of support for a three-year period, making the total pledge roughly $1.3 million, Thompson said.

An executive committee has also been formed, Thompson said. They are as follows:

• Chair Erin Danastasio, executive director of the Hatch Foundation

• Vice Chair Gary Schafer, managing partner of Forvis Mazars

• Treasurer Jason England, president and CEO of Arvest Bank in Springfield

• Secretary Thompson, executive director of LORE and vice president and chief economic development officer at City Utilities

• At-large member Max Buetow, president and CEO of CoxHealth

• At-large member Shari Reaves, vice president of human resources and training at O’Reilly Automotive

The other members are Dwayne Fulk, City Utilities; Rob Fulp, Great Southern Bank; John Griesemer, Erlen Group; Hal Higdon, Ozarks Tech; Brad Thomas, Silver Dollar City Parks & Resorts; Winter Kinne, Community Foundation of the Ozarks; John Myers, Mercy Springfield Communities; Keith Noble, Commerce Bank; Krisi Schell, SRC; and Richard “Biff” Williams, Missouri State University.

LORE’s name was announced almost a year ago on April 3, 2024, though member names were not yet revealed.

In January 2024, Thompson told Springfield Business Journal that he had been on the phone with business leaders in the region to try to gauge interest in a nonprofit focused on regional collaboration and growth.

While today is the big reveal of board membership, Thompson said members have been active since July with formal board meetings, executive leadership meetings and other planning sessions. In the meantime, he said, the focus was on pinning down the organizational structure and bylaws, as well as determining which initiatives LORE would tackle first.

Incorporation and governance documents were finalized in late February, Thompson said.

In April 2024, Danastasio told SBJ the organization was targeting a 10-county region and looking to bring on eight-10 board members, the level recommended by development specialist Ted Abernathy of Economic Leadership LLC, consulted about the group’s formation.

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.

At LORE, Thompson said the focus has changed from a 10-county coverage area.

“As those discussions were forming, the CEOs were very clear that geographic boundaries weren’t as important to them as their people – where their people live and play that help support their businesses,” he said. “They backed away from defining the 10 counties and switched it more to southwest Missouri.”

The group is focused on the laborshed for southwest Missouri, according to Thompson. That may be seven counties along U.S. Highway 65, or it may go broader.

“We don’t want to negate efforts such as widening Interstate 44, for example,” he said. “There’s the challenge. There are going to be initiatives that have absolutely no geographic boundaries associated with them.”

All of the investor organizations but one, Branson’s Silver Dollar City, have their local operations based in Springfield.

In an interview this morning, Danastasio said the board members wanted to give themselves some breathing room by not specifying geographic or political boundaries.

“We don’t see lines,” she said.

Thompson said LORE has enlisted the services of Habitat Communication & Culture LLC to further define its image, and a survey is being conducted through early April to gain feedback. That survey and a future one will also help to inform other initiatives LORE will focus on.

In a news release from LORE, England stressed the value of studying other successful regionalism organizations.

“We have looked at the long-term success of communities similar to ours, including northwest Arkansas and Durham, North Carolina, and the results are clear – regional collaboration is a proven strategy for driving sustained economic success,” he said. “LORE is positioned to bring that same level of long-term impact to the Ozarks.”

Thomas outlined LORE’s focus areas, stating in the release, “By concentrating on workforce attraction, quality of life and regional identity, we can ensure that the Ozarks continues to thrive and grow. Strengthening our workforce, investing in community well-being and telling our region’s unique story will position us for long-term success.”

Asked to define the “it factor” sought in member CEOs and executives, Thompson told SBJ the main factors are committed leadership and commitment to the region.

“We’re not just looking for somebody to write a check and fund an organization,” he said. “We’re asking them to be personally involved – that’s No. 1.”

Additionally, he said, members are asked to bring their talents to the table for the good of the organization.

“We’re garnering those types of resources,” he said. “These companies can very quickly, very nimbly do things that some organizations can’t.”

Thompson said he has enjoyed being director – a position he has held on an interim basis as the organization gets off the ground.

“It’s been an honor to sit in the room and listen to the dialogue,” he said. “These are people who really care about the region. They’re very, very passionate, and they want to move the ball forward in the right way.”

The group is currently putting together a job description for a permanent executive director to take over for Thompson. He said the new leader is expected to be in place by the end of the year.