New SBDC president outlines 2007 goals

Incoming SBDC President Mary Kay Meek with Meek’s Building Centers enumerated those goals and others at the corporation’s annual meeting Feb. 22 at Highland Springs Country Club. Meek replaced immediate past president Mike Phillips, a managing shareholder with Kirkpatrick, Phillips & Miller CPAs PC.

Meek said the corporation is an example of a successful public-private partnership designed to grow the regional economy by assisting existing businesses and attracting new ones that bring jobs to the area.

SBDC CEO Greg Williams said metropolitan and regional work force statistics are indicative of the corporation’s economic impact.

Since 2002, almost 24,000 jobs have been created in the Springfield metropolitan statistical area. When the area is expanded to encompass 10 counties in southwest Missouri, the net job increase since 2002 is more than 28,000, Williams said.

See SBJ’s March 5 issue for more on this story.