SBJ announces 2003 Economic Impact Award nominees

On July 17, Springfield Business Journal will present its fourth annual Economic Impact Awards. One company will be honored in each of this year's five industry categories: Residential Development, Law, Public Accounting, Commercial Architecture and Restaurants and Dining.

The crowning event of the awards ceremony will be the announcement of the 2003 Lifetime Achievement in Business Award winner.

And the finalists are

In Residential Development, the suspense is building for Kenmar Construction, Janell Manley Homes and Rivercut Development.

Awaiting judgment in the Law category are Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin, Lathrop & Gage and Reynolds Gold & Grosser.

The final tally will decide the Public Accounting contest between BKD LLP, Kirkpatrick Phillips & Miller and Whitlock Selim & Keehn.

In Commercial Architecture, firms with designs on the winner's circle are Butler Rosenbury & Partners, Esterly Schneider & Associates and H Design Group.

The Restaurant and Dining competition brings to the table Chardonnay, Clary's Restaurant and Springfield Brewing Company.

For Lifetime Achievement in Business, the 2003 finalists are Nancy Brown of Maschino's, Jan Horton of Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Charlie O'Reilly of O'Reilly Automotive.

SBJ received 32 nominations for this year's Economic Impact Awards and eight nominations for Lifetime Achievement in Business.

The judging

As with all SBJ awards, the Economic Impact and Lifetime Achievement finalists are chosen by a panel of independent judges. SBJ Publisher Dianne Elizabeth selected the panel's five members based on their involvement in the business community.

This 2003 panel comprises Pat Calhoon, branch manager for Salomon Smith Barney Inc.; Brian King, vice president of administration and business with Ozark Technical Community College; Mike Williamson, president of Empire Bank; Jim O'Neal, president of O&S Trucking, and Joe Jenkins, secretary/treasurer of Jenkins Diesel Power.

The judges score Economic Impact Award nominees on a scale of 1 to 10, ranking companies on employee base and growth, increased sales, and the company's economic impact on the area. The high scorers in each industry category are named as finalists, with the highest scorer being selected as winner.

For Lifetime Achievement in Business, the judges review nominees' rsums and narrow the field to three finalists.

A special edition insert, featuring profiles of the finalist companies and individuals, will be inserted in SBJ's July 21 edition.

Ticket information

Last year, about 240 people attended the awards ceremony, which is held at The Tower Club. Tickets are now available for the semi-formal event, but seating is limited.

Tickets are $37 per person or $350 for a table of 10.

The evening begins with a reception, featuring light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar, at 6 p.m. Seating for the dinner and program starts at 6:45, and the awards ceremony begins at 7.

SBJ's next event, Influential Women in Business, will be held in October, but nominations are being accepted now through Aug. 8 on the SBJ Web site at www.sbj.net.

For Economic Impact Awards ticket information or to place a ticket order, contact Diana Weber at 417-831-3238.