Opinion: Hunger drives page views at SBJ.net

On SBJ.net, 2015 was the year of the doughnut.

News on one of the Queen City’s most well-known sweet shops and a national favorite filling a void in town were the most read local business stories of the year on Springfield Business Journal’s website.

Talk about hungry for news: Five of the top 10 stories based on page views had food in common.

Again, breaking news dominated the clicks. Eight of the top 10 stories were sent out to readers via our Breaking News e-newsletter.

We recount the top stories:

1. “Hurts Donut to relocate downtown”

It was a big year for Hurts Donut Co. In March, the gourmet doughnut shop finalized a 3,000-square-foot lease at 320 Park Central West, just over 200 feet away from where it opened in November 2013. Fans welcomed the relocation in June by lining up out the door. But owners Tim and Kas Clegg weren’t done. In November, they added a south-side store in the Gallery Eleven shopping center, 1111 E. Republic Road. Hurts Donut also entered Iowa City, Iowa, for its fourth store.

2. “Dunkin’ Donuts returning to Springfield”

In late August, Cory Roebuck closed on the purchase of a former Back Yard Burgers with plans to open a Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant. Roebuck and Ross Murray of R.B. Murray Co. are working to identify two other Queen City sites. The store would mark the company’s return to Springfield since franchise agreements were not renewed in the 1980s. The 4020 S. Campbell Ave. store opened Dec. 21.

3. “Aunt Martha’s closes after 55 years”

Springfield staple Aunt Martha’s Pancake House, 1700 E. Cherokee St., shuttered in October after 55 years in business. Martha Haworth launched the diner in 1959 and sold it in 1964 to Ruth Freeman, mother of the most recent owner, Brenda Freeman. Red Foley, Chet Atkins, Slim Wilson and other entertainers appearing on the “Ozark Jubilee” television show in the 1950s and ‘60s were known to visit the spot, and country music singer Willie Nelson also is said to have stopped by in September 2003.

4. “Prime Inc. plans $50M headquarters expansion”

Killian Construction Co. President Bill Killian confirmed in May the contractor had been hired to build a $50 million expansion of Prime Inc.’s headquarters, 2740 N. Mayfair Ave. Chad Clay, a 20-year Prime veteran who this year became CEO of Killian Construction, said the transportation company’s plans call for three new buildings and a $6 million administrative office addition. Prime purchased 103 acres immediately west of its Springfield campus in 2010 for $7 million.

5. “Grocery signs on as first Glenstone Marketplace tenant”

In October, news broke that Greensboro, N.C., high-end grocery chain The Fresh Market Inc. (Nasdaq: TFM) became the first tenant to sign on at the Glenstone Marketplace retail center under development at 3333 S. Glenstone Ave. Commercial real estate broker Brad Thessing and American Realty & Development’s Kevin Guffey purchased the former Howard Johnson hotel site in May for an undisclosed price from Jim D. Morris. Fresh Market plans to open its first Springfield store next fall.

6. “Johnny Morris addresses Cabela’s talks on CNBC”

In November, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he addressed reports the company seeks to buy rival Cabela’s Inc. (NYSE: CAB). “There’s a lot of rumors from this. Who knows where they’ll lead, if anywhere, but we have a high regard for that company,” Morris said on air. Earlier that month, Reuters first reported Bass Pro was courting the Sidney, Neb.-based outdoor retailer.

7. “Bair’s Grocery to close as Springfield’s fourth Eagle Stop opens”

Bair’s Grocery, a longtime convenience store at an intersection dominated by gas stations, closed in September. The 5419 S. Campbell Ave. closure came as Springfield’s fourth Eagle Stop planned to move in to a nearby Kum & Go, which in 2014 relocated to a larger space across the street.

8. “Minor league baseball returning to Ozark”

In the spring, Ozarks Pro Baseball LLC said it was collecting 10 teams for the Heartland of America League for play at the former Price Cutter Park in Ozark. The players were expected in June, but several curveballs arrived. After two groups pitched failed plans to purchase the stadium, in August, business partners Jeff Williams, Wendi Taylor and Joel Benenson bought the stadium for $575,000 from OMS LLC, the ownership company of Chicago developer Horn Chen. Their game plan is an independent league managed under U.S. Baseball League LLC.

9. “Farmers Gastropub owners agree to sale”

About six years after opening and two years after moving from downtown to the Brentwood Center, Farmers Gastropub owners Bill Griffiths and Christina Fugitt-Griffiths sold their restaurant to the executive chef of Highland Springs Country Club. Andy Hampshire, along with his wife Misty, now lease the 3,500-square-foot English-style pub under a 10-year agreement with Jared Enterprises at 2620 S. Glenstone Ave.

10. “Businessman Gregg sentenced to 6.5 years in prison”

The courtroom was packed in October when former Springfield businessman Richard T. Gregg was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for fraud. Gregg also was ordered to pay $3.1 million in restitution to victims. After a career as an investor, property owner and bank shareholder, Gregg was indicted in early 2013 and sentenced for defrauding multiple banks and committing bankruptcy fraud.

Web Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net.