Opinion: Changes coming to the 12 People series in its 18th season

Springfield Business Journal’s 12 People You Need to Know series soon will reach adulthood as 2025 marks 18 years since the monthly live interview series began.

In true coming-of-age fashion, it’s time to mix it up. You may have wondered when the SBJ newsroom planned to release its 2025 lineup of 12 People You Need to Know – well, you won’t see that in preparation for this coming year. In 2025, we’ll release the names of the guests monthly. The first people to know will be the attendees at the prior month’s interview.

In fact, we released the January guest’s name at the conclusion of the Dec. 17 interview with Erlen Group Chief Financial Officer Christina Angle. Who’s our first pick for 2025? Brandi VanAntwerp. Why do you need to know Brandi? As of summer 2024, she’s the president and CEO of United Way of the Ozarks, which has an annual community campaign goal of $2 million. Brandi has a compelling personal story and a rich resume in nonprofit work. She’ll be sure to start off the new year on the right foot. (You can read more about Brandi here.)

Now, just because we’re reaching adulthood with this series doesn’t mean we’re just trying to be different in charting our new course. The newsroom sees the shift as an opportunity to make more timely selections with our guests. Springfield’s new mayor will be elected this spring and a new city manager soon will be selected after a national search – those individuals could provide some great conversations and opportunities to connect with new community leaders. The year hasn’t even started yet, so there’s no telling what other big business developments we’ll report on in 2025. But we’re sure to have them. Selecting our guests monthly gives us the nimbleness to go where the news takes us, and that serves the mission of SBJ: to be a steward of information so that businesses are empowered to make decisions.

This year, I’ve also had a bit of fun with the series as I’ve taken over the live interviews. Engineer Steve Prange of Crawford, Murphy & Tilly Inc. certainly takes the cake for fun this year as he agreed to be put on the hot seat with a “Hot Ones” inspired finale to his November interview. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Steve and me, you had to be there to see that spicy interview. My lips might still be burning from the last bite.

Even with the changes to the series, there are some things that stay the same. Being in the room to experience the event is top of that list. These are unique conversations with influential people that unfold live in front of an audience. The conversations aren’t scripted, and unexpected information comes up quite often. The power of the event starts before the interview happens and lasts until after the final guest drives away, and that’s because the networking and opportunity for connection has become a key element of what makes 12 People You Need to Know a must-attend monthly event.

Follow along with the year’s selections at SBJ.net/12People and mark your calendars to join us the third Tuesday of each month from 3:30-5 p.m. at The Backlot at Alamo Drafthouse. Next year, we’ll be sure to present a dozen impactful interviews through 12 People You Need to Know. This series just keeps getting better with age.

Springfield Business Journal Executive Editor Christine Temple can be reached at ctemple@sbj.net.