Nixon promotes new incentives program at eFactory

Gov. Jay Nixon visited Springfield yesterday to promote the Aug. 28 implementation of Missouri Works, a law designed to pack the state's business development incentives into a single program.

Speaking from The eFactory in downtown’s Robert W. Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development, Nixon said the law streamlines the process for businesses to receive incentives for job creation efforts.

The program combines tax credits through the Neighborhood Assistance, Rebuilding Communities and Enhanced Enterprise Zone programs, as well as Missouri Quality Jobs, into one incentives package with an initial cap of $106 million. Missouri Works offers tax credits to companies adding a certain number of jobs that meet wage requirements and include health benefits.

“Missouri Works consolidates and modernizes Missouri’s economic incentives into a single, business-friendly program,” Nixon said, speaking to a small crowd including businesspeople and Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce officials. “Making these programs easier to use, and easier to understand, will allow businesses to focus on creating jobs, instead of cutting through red tape.”

During the news conference, chamber President Jim Anderson said an undisclosed manufacturer already has signed up to take advantage of the Missouri Works program, bringing an expansion to Springfield instead of the East Coast.