Kim W. Schumer
Each week, Springfield Business Journal provides its readers with a wealth of information, presented in an unassuming little package.
The “package” is a simple box, outlined with a thin, black rule, comprising horizontal blocks of texts in alternating gray and white, and vertical, categorized columns. Hardly the stuff to garner awards for inspired graphic design.
The package as a whole, however, contains information vital to the Springfield business community; contained therein is SBJ’s weekly list.
A lot of work goes into providing you with SBJ’s weekly list of the area’s largest (insert industry here). We research the featured industry to learn what, exactly, it does. We talk to leaders in the industry, soliciting ideas for what information to include to best represent what service or product the industry provides to businesses, communities and readers who might be interested in what the largest companies in that featured industry have to offer.
We use that information to create a survey we send out to the companies in the featured industry. The surveys consist of approximately 12 to 15 questions allowing respondents to define their company and services. The surveys are sent via email to companies operating in the select industry and within 50 miles of Springfield.
As surveys are submitted, we process the results and rank the companies according to criteria established by the survey.
During the lifetime of the survey process, we stay in contact with the companies on the receiving end, to make sure they received them, answer any questions respondents might have and to remind them of the deadline.
Once all of the surveys have been submitted and the companies ranked, we publish the results.
Sometimes, competitors within an industry will call to express concerns over how another company filled out a survey. Some industries are quite competitive, and if the owner of one business believes another business owner falsified information, they can be quick to call us. When this happens, we do our best to reassure the concerned party that we did everything we could on our end to ensure accuracy, but also admit that at the end of the day, we rely on survey respondents to be honest with their answers.
To help ensure they can honestly answer the survey questions, we invite respondents to participate in focus groups, to evaluate, assess and even deconstruct, if necessary, the surveys we send out so that the information in the list is accurate, timely and relevant to the industry as well as to the reader who uses the information in the lists.
SBJ appreciates the businesses that take the time to fill out our surveys and that communicate with us about their reactions to the list and the compilation process.
Later this year, SBJ plans to extend the editorial research work to desks throughout the newsroom.
What that means for companies that receive the annual questionnaires – more frequently for those that span multiple industries – is a new point of contact with SBJ. List questionnaires also will come from the editors and reporters.
So, be on the lookout as we pursue complete and accurate information to raise the level of knowledge in key industries throughout the Springfield area.
Springfield Business Journal Editorial Researcher Kim Schumer can be reached at kschumer@sbj.net.
