After nine years in the making, Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield has finally opened its doors to the public. The largest immersive wildlife experience in the world celebrated its grand opening on September 21 with a gala and ribbon-cutting ceremony graced by several famous guests including former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush.
Read moreProperty Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, entered Missouri markets only a few years ago, and local businesses and communities across the state are already reaping the benefits. Residential PACE provides up-front financing for homeowners to make energy-efficiency and renewable energy upgrades to their homes, then pay over time through a line item on their property tax bill. City and county
Read moreSmall business constitutes a large part of the Missouri economy and provides sustainable jobs for many Missourians. Missouri has 461,259 small businesses, according to the most current federal data. Of those small businesses, 131,405 have employees. The remaining 329,854 are small businesses that have no employees. These small business statistics for Missouri do not include all self-employed individuals working in
Read moreFor many years, Missouri has been stuck in a state of almost. The big reforms, the ones needed to truly chart a new course for Missouri, tended to come up just short — blocked by a governor’s veto, a filibuster or a failed override vote. It’s no surprise, then, that some of our state’s biggest job growth opportunities were meeting
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On the topic of Missouri’s transportation system, it’s easy to be a pessimist. Over the decades, our state’s hilly geography and numerous rivers led to the construction of thousands of bridges. Today, 860 of them are in poor condition. Our primary artery, Interstate 70, is crowded and expected to become even more congested in the coming years. Road fatalities climbed
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The headquarters of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry sits on the eastern end of Jefferson City’s capitol district. From our vantage point, state office towers and the Capitol dome form the western horizon. The governor’s mansion and some incredible public gardens are just a short walk away, near the historic train depot and our vibrant downtown. This is
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In recent years, Spire Energy has gone from being one of the smallest natural gas companies to one of the largest. But even as the St. Louis-based company has grown, one thing has been intentionally minimized: the concept of corporate elitism. “I do not believe in the word ‘headquarters,’” said CEO Suzanne Sitherwood. “That word implies that somebody is more
Read morePromoting frontline staff members into supervisory positions makes a lot of sense. It rewards employees who have mastered the skills of your business. In addition, when other workers see high performers move up in the organization, it motivates them. It’s also cheaper to hire from within than to advertise for new supervisors. However, first-time team leaders often lack the supervisory
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In this special issue, Missouri Business magazine reports on the 2016 election. These stories focus on the policies and positions that matter most to Missouri’s business community. A special thanks to all the business people who shared the quotes that are featured in this special section. Presidential election High contrast: Presidential policy matters to Missouri’s economic future Missouri governor election
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The Summer Olympics in Brazil were exciting. The baseball season had its usual thrills. There’s plenty of good football — and tailgating — to look forward to in Kansas City and Columbia. But all in all, there is nothing bigger than the contest happening in your town on Nov. 8. I’ll forgive you if by now you’ve become jaded by
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Missouri Business 