Overheard

Arvest Bank is working to tie up the final details for its first branch in Springfield, which officials say ultimately could become a hub for the Bentonville, Ark.-based company.

The bank will lease space and open in the next 30 to 60 days, Regional Manager Scott Grigsby said May 8. Grigsby, who called Springfield the natural next step for bank expansion, would not disclose the bank’s planned location, but a Springfield building permit filed by Arvest in April calls for a $190,000 infill at 1435 E. Bradford Parkway, Ste. 100. Grigsby will serve as Springfield’s interim market president. The full-service bank will hire about eight employees in the next six months, Grigsby said.

Arvest has opened two Branson branches since May 2006. The bank has 200 locations in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas.

St. Louis-style Incredible Pizza

Incredible Pizza Co. was scheduled to open its second Missouri location and 11th overall in St. Louis on May 10. Franchise owner Jody Shelenhamer, of KJM Properties and Investments LLC, will lead the St. Louis location at 5254 S. Lindbergh. Shelenhamer also owns Bolivar-based Shelenhamer Construction LLC. The 60,000-square-foot, 1950s-themed facility will have a pizza, pasta, salad and dessert bar; four themed dining rooms; nine private party rooms; a Go Kart track; a miniature golf course; miniature bowling; bumper cars; a prize area; and 100 video and redemption games. Incredible Pizza was named the fastest-growing company in southwest Missouri at Springfield Business Journal’s 2007 Dynamic Dozen awards, tallying 70 percent growth in 2006 and 162 percent growth in 2005. Revenues were $36 million in 2006 and $21 million in 2005.

The company opened in 2002 at 2772 S. Campbell Ave. Incredible Pizza Co. recently opened three stores in Texas, and is slated to open a location in Lafayette, La., later this month. Officials also plan to open around 10 stores in China by 2009.

Inc. Mag Boomtown: Springfield

Springfield is a “hotbed” for entrepreneurs, ranking among the Top 20 midsize American cities for job growth, according to the May issue of Inc. magazine. The Springfield metropolitan statistical area ranked No. 20 on the publication’s 2007 midsize “Boomtowns,” climbing five slots from 2006. Overall, Springfield ranked No. 86 among 393 Boomtowns, a 27-spot jump from last year.

The ranking focuses on job growth, both current and throughout the past 10 years. Springfield experienced 2.2 percent growth in its nonfarm jobs between 2005 and 2006 and 9.8 percent growth in nonfarm jobs between 2001 and 2006. Contributing most to the area’s expanding employment base, according to the article, are leisure, business services and financial services industries.

Springfield’s employment closed 2006 at about 194,600, according to the listing.

The city was the only in Missouri to break the Top 20. Columbia ranked No. 69 overall, and Joplin ranked No. 213 overall.

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., ranked first among midsize cities, and St. George, Utah, ranked No. 1 among all cities.