I’m getting to know Joplin a little better.
While we’re no strangers, I plan to draw a little closer to the city in my new position of editorial director over Springfield Business Journal and Joplin Tri-State Business Journal.
Of course, SBJ Publishing has been producing JTBJ for six years. I’ve become familiar through that association.
My first direct experience with Joplin businesses was in 2006, when our editorial team spent time on the ground for a special regional focus on Joplin. My assignment was a Business Spotlight article on Images in Tile LLC, on the heels of Paul Whitehill’s manufacturing company being featured in an HGTV show and selected for the 2006 Governor’s Small Business Award.
Last year, I walked through some of the rubble a month after the tornado and interviewed the contractor who received the city’s first post-tornado building permit. “Tornado No. 1” belonged to Darren Collins, who was rebuilding his wife’s Cut Loose Salon in the shadow of the St. John’s hospital building.
In between, I’ve attended and supported JTBJ events such as Dynamic Dozen, 15 People to Watch and Best Places to Work, honoring the top companies and professionals in the market. I would have been on hand for the June 7 Salute to Health Care ceremony if not for a couple deadlines in Springfield, namely our inaugural Business Class awards publication.
I’ve enjoyed getting to know Joplin during the years, even if it was in spot situations.
Today, the day-to-day business news reporting is in the trusted hands of Editor Carole Liston and Reporter David Mink. My role is to work with my colleagues to continue to shape the news of this business-to-business publication, while leaning on the 32 years of business journal experience that I tap daily as editor of SBJ.
Part of my vision is to provide less announcement and meeting coverage and emphasize more trend stories and in-depth analyses. I want JTBJ to provide that second layer of information by digging deeper, utilizing public records, and building rapport with business owners and executives throughout the region.
That requires honest participation among businesspeople. We need frank discussions about what’s really going on in your industries – good, bad and otherwise – not canned public relations messages that are self-serving and neglecting of the greater good.
I can’t help but think of the L.L. Sayer’s restaurant closure that Liston broke in the Joplin market. The day before she wrote the story, “Gryphon restaurant closes up shop,” owner Richard Sanell II said it was not closing. The next day, she stood outside the restaurant observing the padlocked doors. The strange thing is neither the owner nor the property manager would say why it was closed. There are a number of reasons for a business to close, and it’s our job to seek the truth and report it. I believe the city as a whole wins out when we do.
It’s the same thing we strive for with SBJ. With that unified mission, you’ll see more cohesiveness between the two publications.
Now, more than ever, Joplin needs open honesty about where things are headed. Is there a post-tornado residential migration? If so, what industries might be affected? Fewer people mean fewer attorneys or financial planners in demand. Will they also flee the city or shift to another profession?
I understand we have to earn the communications that I’m talking about – in both markets.
We’re also working to cultivate sources and business leads in Pittsburg, Kan., and other outlying areas. We expect to develop internship relationships with area schools, too. It’s just another way to broaden our penetration as a brand and familiarize a younger demographic with local business news reporting.
It’s also an avenue we feel our organization can give back to the community. During my decade working in our Springfield newsroom, interns have risen to editor positions – as is the case of Features Editor Maria Hoover and former Web Editor Dee Dee Jacobs. We’ve seen interns move on to careers throughout the city with such businesses as CoxHealth, Springfield News-Leader and Branson Tri-Lakes News. Others are now working for Time Magazine and Prudential Financial.
I’m excited to see how a consistent internship program in JTBJ’s newsroom can increase production of business news and aid the development of professionals for the community at large.
But more than excited, I am committed to the publication and to the city. I am committed to the people producing JTBJ and SBJ for their respective cities.
SBJ Publishing Editorial Director Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.
