When Springfield Business Journal last year celebrated 30 years in business, the editorial team selected and published the Top 30 Points of Change in our business community.
Now, celebrating our 31st year, founder and Publisher Dianne Elizabeth Osis challenged us with identifying 31 Game Changers. The list is published in alphabetical order on pages 9–12 in this issue.
Our newsroom staff considered business and community professionals who have made a significant impact since 1980 that changed the business landscape.
We took the selection process very seriously, as evident by the terse debate to get us there.
With discussions behind us, we’re taking a cue from one of the 31 Game Changers. Jack Stack told me a few years ago that business is serious, but we’ve got to keep a sense of humor about it, especially as leaders.
Taking Stack’s cue, we decided to have some fun with the Game Changers and ask for your participation.
With this list in front of you, here’s the question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, which five Springfield businessmen or businesswomen would you want with you? You would need to change the game around you on this island, and some help would come in handy.
You’ve got the best to choose from, so, let’s have some fun.
Would it be:
- Johnny Morris? We’d need to fish to survive. Why not go big?
- Andy Kuntz? I mean, who wouldn’t want frozen custard to keep us cool?
- Sam Hamra? We’ll need to eat some real food, and he knows a thing or two about grilling burgers. Plus, he always has access to Frosty treats. (That’s a backup plan if Kuntz’ schedule was full.)
- Annie Busch? We’ll have plenty of time for reading.
- Shawn Askinosie? Two for one here – a defensive attorney should anything go wrong and a maker of chocolate candy bars.
- Cheryl Burnett and Jackie Stiles? Hoops would be a good way to pass the time.
- Brad Pitt? Top quality entertainment would pass time, if hoops aren’t your thing.
- Brian Fogle or Jim Anderson? Either surely would bring together the group and provide much-needed harmony.
- Carol Jones? Should any other visitors arrive, she could broker a long-term land lease or sale. Let’s make some money while we’re at it.
- Jack Stack? We’ll need a good joke teller to keep it fun and someone to count the coconuts making sure everyone knows how many are in production on the island. I bet the volume would increase within six months.
What do you think? Who’s your deserted-island business dream team?
We’ve built our online poll this week around the question. Have some fun with it, and place your vote and comments at
sbj.net/poll or e-mail me at
eolson@sbj.net.
As with any published list, few people agree. We welcome your thoughts, too, on who didn’t make our cut and why they should be there. We started with more than 80 people, and narrowed it down through deliberations and a voting process.
Who’s on your Game Changers’ list?
Springfield Business Journal Editor Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]
