The eFactory recognized for community impact

Missouri State University's downtown business incubator The eFactory has been recognized by Trade & Industry Development magazine for its community impact.

During the magazine's 2014 Corporate Investment & Community Impact Awards, the eFactory was honored among 15 finalists in the community impact division, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Economic Development.

The eFactory - built in the former Willow Brook Foods’ poultry processing facility now known as the Robert W. Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development - created 33 new full-time jobs within the first two months of opening its doors in March 2013. During the next five years, the facility is estimated to create 650 jobs and facilitate $30 million worth of investments.

The eFactory expects to assist some 450 business clients during the next five years, according to the award site.

Other Missouri companies recognized this month by Trade & Industry Development magazine were St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. and Kansas City-based Cerner Corp.

The eFactory also was selected by Gov. Jay Nixon last year to receive the Governor's Community Development and Redevelopment Award, recognizing its efforts to create business development infrastructure and business development services, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.