Posts by growthzone

Springfield startups featured in Fast Company Earlier this year, Joe and Christine Daues were featured in the Springfield Business Journal after presenting their product Granolove at 1 Million Cups, a Kauffman foundation program in which entrepreneurs make connections with each other and the community over cups of coffee. Earlier this month, the story was picked…

Topics to watch in economic development—entrepreneurship, talent and the global economy The increasingly globalized economy, combined with the economic realities of the past decade have dramatically reshaped the economic development landscape. These changes are causing businesses and economic developers alike to renew their focus on talent attraction and foster environments ripe for entrepreneurship. All the…

Kraft celebrates 75 years in Springfield, invests $100 million in facility Earlier this month, the Kraft Foods manufacturing facility in Springfield celebrated 75 years of business in the community and 60 years at its current site. Kraft also announced that it is investing approximately $100 million at the Springfield site, which is being used for…

Springfield’s entrepreneurial ecosystem garners national attention As a community, Springfield has taken deliberate steps to build its entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Already known for start-ups that have become national brands—Bass Pro Shops, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation, Jack Henry & Associates—the Springfield region has long been supportive of entrepreneurs,  but a renewed focus is helping the…

Chamber takes big steps toward attracting new business When a company like T-Mobile or Expedia chooses to open a new facility there is an incredibly competitive and relatively unknown process that they go through before choosing the new location. That process starts with site-selection consultants. Similar to how a talent scout will investigate and work…