Opinion: Good outcomes when businesses adapt in crises

Dear readers, advertisers and partners,

Springfield Business Journal remains committed to serving our regional business community during these difficult times.

It is our mission to provide valuable data, news and outside expert commentary to help inform your business decisions and to serve as a conduit connecting local businesspeople to one another. Never has that mission been more important than in the midst of a pervasive business disruption. SBJ staff has quickly adapted to new technologies and a remote work environment so that we can continue to deliver detailed and timely news and information that will help keep your business healthy.

Below are some important changes I want to make you aware of:

SBJ has lifted the paywall on our daily digital coverage of COVID-19, and we will continue to allow free access for the foreseeable future. We hope you will share this coverage with others in your network.

Live interview events, like SBJ's 12 People You Need to Know, will now be livestreamed on our Facebook page. The first such event was held March 17 and the video interview with Editor Eric Olson and NAACP Springfield President Toni Robinson now has over 2,000 views.

We remain committed to honoring those in our business community that have been selected for recognition through our special publications and events. However, in accordance with federal government recommendations and Springfield city ordinance, large public events are being rescheduled. Most recently, our 40 Under 40 celebration was rescheduled for June 23 and the new date for our Most Influential Women reunion event is July 14.

Pages have been committed in the weekly print edition to carry important public service messages from local government and health care systems regarding current recommendations and resources related to COVID-19.

Look for coverage on best practices, helpful resources and successful business pivots. Adversity is never sought, but it often reveals strengths that would otherwise remain undiscovered. We want to bring those stories to our readers as well.

If you are a print subscriber who is working from home and would like to temporarily redirect delivery of your journal, you can do so by logging into your SBJ.net account to manage your subscription or call for assistance at 417-831-3238.

On behalf of the SBJ staff, we are grateful for your continued support and we want to remain your most trusted resource for business news. My colleague and Associate Publisher Marty Goodnight recently likened the challenge set before us to a battle.

He expressed his gratitude to our team as those beside us in the foxhole. I would extend that analogy to our business community. We are stronger together and must continue to collaborate to remain healthy.

Springfield Business Journal Publisher Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jjackson@sbj.net.