Springfield-Joplin Score chapter named district's best

That’s why she, like hundreds of other budding entrepreneurs, turned to Score, “Counselors to America’s Small Businesses,” which has helped thousands of entrepreneurs since 1964.

Score – formerly an acronym for Service Corps of Retired Executives – has 389 chapters nationwide. The Springfield-Joplin chapter – Chapter 61 – was recently recognized as the Chapter of the Year for 2005 in the Kansas City district, which serves counties in eastern Kansas and western Missouri.

It’s the third consecutive year that the local chapter’s efforts have been recognized.

Score’s national headquarters are in Washington, D.C., and the organization receives some federal funding. Although Chapter 61 has its offices in the Springfield branch office of the U.S. Small Business Adminstration, the Score program is not a division of SBA.

The Springfield-Joplin chapter handled more than 400 new cases in 2005, divided between 43 volunteer counselors who are retired executives, former chief executive officers or managers who volunteer to share their experiences with budding entrepreneurs.

Mary Lou Roberts, district director and presenter of the annual award, attributes Chapter 61’s success to its outstanding staff.

Wyman Grindstaff, chapter chair, said that most Score volunteers prefers to focus on the individual seeking assistance instead of the numbers of people served by the organization.

“If a client comes through here, (they) want to do a good job with that client,” he said.

Getting counsel

That was certainly Turner’s experience. Her counselor was John Fleming, former training manager for an aerospace company in Connecticut. He moved to the Ozarks seeking warmer weather and a fulfilling way to spend his retirement. Fleming has since joined Ivy League Corporate Services as director of training and development in addition to his work with Score.

Turner said her weekly meetings with Fleming gave her the push she needed.

“It was like getting homework every week,” she said.

“I would have a list of things to do so that when we met the next time I’d have something to show for it.”

She also emphasized the no-pressure atmosphere of these counseling sessions and the ability to ask questions without feeling intimidated.

After only a few weeks of meetings with Fleming, Turner was able to open for business in March.

Most Score volunteers are delighted to see a protégé succeed, Fleming added.

“The reason why we do it,” he said, “is because it’s so rewarding.”

Working for Score gives retired executives a chance to continue adding value to the community.

“Since I’ve been working for 43 years, retirement really doesn’t mean not doing something meaningful,” added Fleming.

Roberts, herself a Score volunteer for six years, feels the same way.

“I thought when I retired that I would spend a lot of time playing golf, and after awhile that got pretty boring,” she said.

“Besides, I wasn’t that good a golfer,” she added.

In addition to one-on-one counseling and free small-business workships, Score’s Chapter 61 also offers five paid workshops via Ozarks Technical Community College’s continuing education program. During Small-Business Week, Score is offering two workshops – Buying and Selling Businesses on May 3 and How to Really Start Your Own Business on May 6. For details on those programs, as well as the full Small-Business Week calendar, see page 13.[[In-content Ad]]