Celebrating member milestones with ribbon cuttings – March 2024 Every day, the Chamber works to help businesses grow and thrive. One of the things we love most is when we have the opportunity to help those organizations commemorate significant achievements – grand openings, anniversaries, new facilities, and more. March was a great month for this type of celebration in the region, and that’s just the way we like it! Check out all the businesses and organizations that the Chamber recognized last month: On March 12, we celebrated the grand opening of Slater Cabinets and More's new showroom ..read more

Finalists announced for 2024 Small Business Award The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has announced five area businesses as 2024 finalists for the annual W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award. The finalists were selected based on written applications covering company history, management philosophy, responses to challenges, innovation in product and service offerings and contributions to the community. Entries were reviewed and scored by an independent panel of judges.   In alphabetical order, this year’s finalists are: 417 Magazine: Owned by Logan Aguirre, 417 Magazine embodies ..read more

ATHENA Award celebrates outstanding leaders The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual ATHENA Award on March 20 honoring Debbie Shantz Hart as the ATHENA Award recipient and Jarica Oeltjen as the Virginia Fry Rising Star Award recipient. Over 400 members of the business community gathered at the White River Conference Center to celebrate these outstanding individuals who have achieved the highest level of professional excellence, contributed their time and energy to the community and assisted others in realizing their full leadership potential. Debbie Shantz Hart, owner of ..read more

Youngstown Glove Company to Expand in Springfield Youngstown Glove Company, a nationally recognized manufacturer of utility gloves for industrial, construction and utility line use, has announced plans to construct a new $15M facility in Partnership Industrial Center West. A subsidiary of Blackstone Investment Group in Aurora, MO, Youngstown is expanding into Springfield to add a new product line, initially creating 20-25 new jobs with plans to grow to 75-100 employees in the next few years. "We are pleased to have such a unique and innovative company choosing to invest in our region and ..read more

SBDC Annual Meeting highlights Springfield’s bright future The Springfield Business Development Corporation (SBDC) marked its 40th anniversary with a significant annual meeting at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center, attended by over 480 stakeholders. The event was a celebration of four decades of profound economic development and strategic contributions to the local economy led by SBDC, with Christina Angle, the 2024 SBDC Board President and CFO of the Erlen Group, delivering an address that underscored Springfield's remarkable journey of growth and transformation. Angle's presentation ..read more

40th anniversary SBDC Annual Meeting, highlighted Springfield’s bright future The Springfield Business Development Corporation (SBDC) marked its 40th anniversary with a significant annual meeting at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center, attended by over 480 stakeholders. The event was a celebration of four decades of profound economic development and strategic contributions to the local economy led by SBDC, with Christina Angle, the 2024 SBDC Board President and CFO of the Erlen Group, delivering an address that underscored Springfield's remarkable journey of growth and transformation. A ..read more

Celebrating member milestones with ribbon cuttings – February 2024 Every day, the Chamber works to help businesses grow and thrive. One of the things we love most is when we have the opportunity to help those organizations commemorate significant achievements – grand openings, anniversaries, new facilities, and more. February was a great month for this type of celebration in the region, and that’s just the way we like it! Check out all the businesses and organizations that the Chamber recognized last month: On February 1, we celebrated the two-year anniversary of Thailand Station, and we ..read more

Springfield Chamber Board of Directors endorses City of Springfield ballot measures on April 2024 ballot After a thorough review process, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has endorsed two City of Springfield Charter amendments on the April 2 ballot. The measures pertain to extending the current mayoral term and addressing conflict-of-interest provisions.   Springfield City Council voted in early January to certify two proposals for the April ballot. The first measure would extend the current two-year mayoral term to four years while keeping the term limit a ..read more

Celebrating member milestones with ribbon cuttings – January 2024 Every day, the Chamber works to help businesses grow and thrive. And one of the things we love most is when we have the opportunity to help those organizations commemorate significant achievements – grand openings, anniversaries, new facilities, and more. January was a great month for this type of celebration in the region, and that’s just the way we like it! Check out all the businesses and organizations that the Chamber recognized last month: On January 11, we celebrated the grand opening of Wilson Logistics Arena. On Ja ..read more

Chamber Board hosts state lawmakers to share key priorities The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors hosted lawmakers at their annual Board Legislative Luncheon on February 2. This event allows board members to thank elected officials and highlight their top state legislative priorities with Springfield-area Representatives and Senators. This regional delegation of lawmakers works collaboratively in Jefferson City on behalf of Southwest Missouri, which in the current political climate, is not always guaranteed. “I love working with our group of legislators and we all wa ..read more