Sometimes, you just want a baker’s dozen.
Such is the case with the 2014 class of Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know editorial series.
In the selection process this year, SBJ’s editors couldn’t stop at 12. We helped ourselves to a double pick in MaMa Jean’s Natural Market co-owners Susie Farbin and Diana Hicks.
Perhaps we were a bit swayed by the good experience in 2013 with cashew chicken patriarch David Leong, who was assisted during the live interview by his more affluent English-speaking son, Wing Wah. The Leongs packed the room at Hilton Garden Inn and provided insight into the family dynamics – the wartime history when David got his start cooking to the bottling of Asian sauces for retail now led by Wing Wah.
We hope for the same in the MaMa Jean’s business family, which is rooted in Jean Farbin, the namesake of the Springfield store who runs its forerunner, Jean’s Healthway in Ava.
The backdrop to the selection is the continued trend in organic and locally sourced foods and MaMa Jean’s addition of a third store in 2013.
Another individual with an addition in the family business is Peter Herschend, co-owner of Herschend Family Entertainment and Silver Dollar City, among other properties. In a 2013 acquisition, HFE brings into the mix the Harlem Globetrotters.
Others were chosen for their fresh presence in our market: Carol Taylor is settling in at Evangel University as its first female president, and Kyle Wiley Pickett is leaving orchestras in northern California and Alaska to pick up where Ron Spigelman left off at the Springfield Symphony Orchestra.
While Taylor’s fully taking the reins at Evangel in May – President Robert Spence is on sabbatical this year to mark his 40th year at the school – her arrival is significant considering the consolidation of Central Bible College and Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and the $30 million in debt the institutions bring into the fold. Taylor is a turnaround specialist, though, having led her last school out of a financial crisis, and she has a plan for her alma mater in Springfield.
For Pickett, relocating his family from the West Coast represents a “choice of a thriving community at a time when communities are struggling,” and he is the first 12 People guest to give a TED talk, having presented in 2012 at TEDxRedding, an independently organized TED event.
Then, there are those who juggle a mammoth of responsibilities, and we’re hustling to keep pace with them.
Dr. Robert Steele, the first Mercy president to double as a physician, maintains a medical practice while leading organizational and financial realms in the Springfield health system.
Not only is Mercy Springfield’s largest employer, but also the health care industry is in tumult.
Consider Missouri State University’s Kyle Moats – who leads the second largest college athletic program in the state – or Eric Burlison – the Cerner Corp. business analyst and state representative, who tackles the tough legislative issues, such as right-to-work law, and plans to seek re-election for his final House term.
Selection to the 12 People class is not what makes these individuals special. Rather who they are and what they’re accomplishing in our business community causes them to stand out.
I invite you out to the live interview series now in its seventh year, with annual sponsorship again by Arvest Bank.
Shake a hand, meet a newcomer or find out who or what is behind that important initiative. Better yet, ask a question at the conclusion of our breakfast events. It’s a chance to insert your perspective into the conversation.
You never know what you’ll learn or who you’ll meet.
One thing’s for certain, though, we’ll bring you the faces and stories of Springfield business by the dozen throughout the year.
Make that a baker’s dozen.
Springfield Business Journal Editorial Director Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.
