Mixing business with pleasure on occasion is a good thing, a really good thing.
I recently returned from a three-day trip to Napa Valley that I enjoyed with 24 representatives of some of Springfield’s finest businesses. The trip, hosted by UMB Bank, was the second part of the inaugural Business Class event in June that was co-presented by UMB Bank, BKD LLP, Lathrop & Gage LLP and Springfield Business Journal.
“Business Class is designed to honor the best of the best in business, measuring sustainable financial success, business innovation and community impact,” says UMB Regional President Ann Marie Baker. “Our goal is to recognize businesses at the top of their game that also have a bright future.”
The June 15 event, and supporting publication, honored 10 finalists and named the top five companies to be invited on the Oct. 31–Nov. 2 trip to California wine country. The top companies were Anderson Engineering, HealthcareFirst, Marlin Network, Penmac Personnel Services and Rick’s Automotive. The complete list of 2012 finalists is posted at
SBJ.net/events.
From the moment we arrived in the San Francisco airport on Halloween morning until our final departure on Friday evening, every detail of our trip was carefully planned. Our comfort and enjoyment of the adventure was paramount. The view in virtually every direction we turned was postcard worthy.
The wine and the company were some of the best I’d ever experienced. Still, many of our reflections brought us right back to what we are all doing in Springfield.
For starters, all but one of the wineries we visited in Napa Valley fermented their wines in huge shiny tanks made by Paul Mueller Co. right here in Springfield.
Gregg Shirey, director of industrial equipment and business development for Mueller, says he would estimate half of the wine tanks used in the United States today were made in Springfield.
“I’ve been here for 31 years and Mueller has been building wine tanks for longer than that,” Shirey says. “Wine tanks were a natural progression from dairy farm tanks because of the need for temperature control and the heat required for fermentation.”
It was a source of pride for all of us when the winemakers claimed the Mueller tanks were the finest in the business. I can confirm this by our collective photographs.
The wineries themselves were another source for reflection. Each described their products in ways ranging from full-bodied, voluptuous and curvy to light-hearted, playful and fruity. I can attest to the fact that their wines were all of that and more. But a key point of commonality for all was years of hard work. There appears to be nothing about making fine wine that is easy, fast or cheap. The winemakers were full of pride regarding their history and the businesses they have built to last for generations. I feel certain that all of my traveling companions share some of that same sentiment for their businesses, their products, where they’ve been and where they are going.
I believe the vision for Business Class shared by all partners was brought to fruition with this trip.
“By coming together in an executive retreat setting, we believe the honorees gain insights from interacting with other businesspeople who share their same passion for excellence,” Baker says. “The honorees and partners brought so much energy and knowledge together, the collective result was just amazing. Not only were they incredibly talented businesspeople, they had a great time together, too.”
Here’s to business and good times continuing back at home in Springfield.
Springfield Business Journal Publisher Jennifer Jackson can be reached at jjackson@sbj.net.
