L
LOOKING AHEAD Celebrating 100 Years and more to come
BY THE NUMBERS Over the past decade, the chamber has managed hundreds of leads with businesses looking to expand or relocate. Working with our partners, many of these leads have become successful projects that have created new jobs, new income and new investment—the cornerstones of economic growth. Each day, the Springfield region competes with other communities for jobs and talent. As the chamber enters the next century, that competitive landscape continues to evolve, and the unique intersection of job creation, population growth and quality of place is increasingly important. To attract and retain more people and new jobs, the chamber continues to strengthen its focus on talent development, retention and attraction as well as investing in the assets that make this a desirable place to live, work, play and learn. The following numbers show examples of how the chamber is continuing that focus.
6,199 NEW
In the last 10 years from 2010 to 2019, the Springfield Business Development Corporation (SBDC), the J O BS economic development arm of the chamber, has managed projects creating 6,199 new jobs in the Springfield region. These projects have resulted in adding $221,256,613 to the annual payroll (non-inflation adjusted) and $664,235,000 in capital investment (non-inflation adjusted).
300 AT T E N DE E S 300 attended the inaugural edition of SGForum, a half-day summit just for SGF YPs. The 2020 edition is moving to a larger venue to meet the demand for this purpose-driven program featuring inspiring keynote speakers, mini sessions about community, personal and professional development and more.
900 +
CO LLEGE ST U DE N TS
The Network for Springfield’s Young Pro-
7,725,360 TOTAL I M P RE S S I ON S
college students during 2019 about why Springfield is a great place to live, work and
From December 4, 2018, to December 4, 2019, SBDC’s talent attraction initiative marketing campaign placed ads on social media platforms targeting individuals
play. The Network has played a key role in
working in high-demand fields as well as those who’ve
the chamber’s efforts to attract, engage and
lived here in the past. During its first year, the campaign
retain young professionals in Springfield.
reached nearly 2 million people, made more than 7.7 million impressions and received 47,000+ click-throughs to the talent attraction website, LiveInSpringfieldMO.com.
46
THE CENTENNIAL
Photo by Brad Zweerink
fessionals presented to more than 900
