Ozarks Profile

Executive director, Springfield Symphony, 1536 E. Division St., Springfield. The Springfield Symphony is a fully professional symphony orchestra, which presents an assortment of classical, pops and educational concerts from September through June. The symphony also sponsors special events throughout the year, including the International Beer Fest and the Greater Ozarks Blues Festival. The Springfield Symphony was founded in 1934 and has grown to be recognized as one of the finest orchestras in Missouri. Today, the 80-member orchestra presents 12 concerts each year. Randall is affiliated with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks Grants Advisory Board, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Executive Roundtable, the American Symphony Orchestra League and the Springfield Southeast Rotary.

Age: 46.

No. of years in Springfield/area: Native Springfieldian; returned here in 1992 after a 15-year stay in Houston, Texas.

Education: Bachelor of arts, Southwest Missouri State University, MBA, University of Houston.

Early career: Randall began his career at KYTV in Springfield, where he was promoted to producer/director, specializing in evening newscasts and commercial production. He received two Emmy Award nominations for news documentaries. In 1976, Randall moved to Houston, Texas, accepting the position of senior consultant at Hughes Communications, which specialized in advertising and public relations for major oil companies, including Exxon, Amoco, Arco and Union Carbide. Later, Randall moved to NL Industries, a Fortune 200 oil service company with 23,000 employees worldwide, where he was manager of media services, responsible for corporate advertising and communications. There he supervised a staff of 13 with an annual budget of $800,000. In 1983, Randall joined the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, as manager of media services, and later, as associate director of development with responsibility for $20 million annual cash flow from gifts, bequests and trusts. Randall returned to the Ozarks in 1992 to become executive director of the Springfield Symphony. Looking over the past six years, Randall said he is most proud of the financial health of the orchestra. "The orchestra has ended every year since 1992 in the black. The financial position is sound with no outstanding debt. At the same time, our endowment has more than quadrupled from $89,000 to $400,000. This is a tribute to a hard-working staff and a fine board of directors," Randall said.

Current projects: Preparing to open the orchestra's 64th season of performances; networking the office computers and upgrading computer software and hardware. "The symphony faced the year 2000 bug. Fortunately, we began preparing for this over a year ago. Half of the $26,000 computer system upgrade was funded through generous gifts from the Community Foundation and the Kemper Foundation. The balance was paid from the symphony's own savings. Over the past six years, we've built up a 'rainy-day fund' for just such contingencies," Randall said. Other projects include preparing for the Greater Ozarks Blues Festival, Sept. 11 and 12 in downtown Springfield. The festival started last year, when it raised more than $22,000. The symphony is also wrapping up "another successful summer of fund raising and season ticket sales," Randall said.

Management philosophy: "Hire good people, empower them with decision-making responsibility and accountability, reward superior performance, foster a team spirit and encourage clear, honest communication on a daily basis."

Spare-time pursuits: Teaching management and marketing classes at SMSU, reading, surfing the Internet, spending quality time with friends.

Family data: Single, "but surrounded by lots of family and friends in the Ozarks."

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