Opinion: EIA banquet heats up summer

Finally, Springfield Business Journal’s 2007 Economic Impact Awards is just days away.

Beyond my instincts to share good news, the quality of companies being honored brings excitement and pride. A special insert in the July 30 issue will expound on the three finalists in each category. But I can’t hold back any longer and will tease you with these EIA tidbits before SBJ rolls out its red carpet July 26 at Bass Pro Shop’s White River Room. Hopefully, I won’t let the honorees’ names slip – my job is at stake here. Well, there is one person I can congratulate now: Lifetime Achievement in Business honoree Jim Anderson of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Architecture

One doesn’t have to stretch his neck very far to spot a building designed by one of these three firms. Butler, Rosenbury & Partners, Creative Ink and H Design are keeping Springfield-area contractors on the go. But what’s most intriguing are the stories behind these companies.

One firm started with only two clients, another operates from a 1907-constructed building, and the other got its big break from John Q. Hammons. Read the July 30 booklet to connect the dots.

Banking

Bankers like the Springfield area. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., there are more than 100 banking branches in Greene County alone. Health care is talked about as the key industry in Springfield, and rightfully so, but banking isn’t too far behind. The three finalists in this category – Commerce Bank, Guaranty Bank and Ozark Mountain Bank – employ more than 500 associates combined.

One has Springfield roots tracing back to 1902, another’s stock price has doubled in the last five years, and the other helped Silver Dollar City get started with a loan.

Nonprofit

We can’t say enough about these giving organizations. The three finalists – Council of Churches, Ozarks Area Community Action Corp. and United Way – function on $32 million in combined operating budgets and lend helping hands to nearly 450,000 people each year. Competition is fierce, even in the nonprofit arena, where more than 350 charitable entities exist in Greene County alone. These three have separated themselves from the pack.

One oversees 250,000 volunteer hours, another partners to collect more than 100,000 pounds of food for local pantries, and the other receives 90 percent of its funding from the government.

Entrepreneur and Innovator

The last two categories cover an eclectic bunch.

The Innovator finalists are revolutionary, as you would expect. There is 1984’s arcade revolution, Matt O’Reilly’s green-building revolution and U.S. Photonics’ laser revolution.

Matt O’Reilly is taking the lead in LEED design-builds. O’Reilly has been a key reason developers and builders in the Ozarks are speaking the language of LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

U.S. Photonics is breaking into the defense and medical arenas with micromachine and nanomachine technologies. Co-owner Ryan Zweerink describes the company as “a solution looking for problems.” Let’s just say, they’re way ahead of the game.

1984 is making money by selling time on old arcade games. That’s innovative.

The Entrepreneur finalists are into movies, sandwiches and money. Well, they’re all into money, but Hammer Collections really goes after it.

Ironically, the Hammer Collections owners have an O’Reilly connection. The O’Reilly family helped Charlotte Najem and Mike Dawley land on their feet after Hurricane Katrina dumped them 650 miles from their Mississippi home. Now, Hammer Collections is in its second year.

Moxie Cinema’s Dan and Nicole Chilton identified a niche and went after it with $50,000 in startup cash behind them. The independent theater in downtown Springfield caught popularity and profitability since Day 1, and it is poised for more of the same.

Tom and JoAnn Dapp – the “J” and the “T” of third finalist JT Restaurant Group – are consummate businesspeople. They know how to run any business, whether it be New Horizons Computer Learning Center, Cookies by Design or Business Financing Solutions.

Lifetime of recognition

What can I say about Jim Anderson that hasn’t been said before? Nothing. But I can share from my personal experiences with Anderson.

Since the first time we met, Anderson recalled my name each time we bumped into each other. Good Morning Springfield!, 40 Under 40, Rotary lunches – there he was calling me by name no matter how much time had passed in between handshakes.

And it’s not just me. I must admit, at first, I thought I was special. But the more I saw Anderson perform as chamber chief, I noticed he knew everybody by first name. On top of that, he’s as genuine as they come.

I wasn’t sure if this would be Anderson’s year, but what I think doesn’t matter; I don’t even get to cast a vote. The judges picked the right guy.

Congratulations to all the candidates, and I look forward to honoring you July 26.

SBJ editor Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]