Kick off Small Business Week with the Top 10 lenders

Today at the Springfield Area Small Business Week kick-off breakfast, U.S. Small Business Administration officials gave a nod to the top 10 SBA lenders in 2012.

Johnny Morris owns an island; what’s next?

It wasn’t a complete surprise to read this week that Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris was buying up parcels on an island in the Florida Keys. How he intends to turn his island rights into a business proposition, if at all, remains to be seen.

Library says goodbye to 300 tons of gravel

An area roofing contractor has some major cleanup work to do today in south Springfield.

2013 Book of Lists fresh off the press

Another year and another wrap-up of business news covered. One of the facets of our newsroom production is the annual Book of Lists, a compilation of the weekly lists researched and published each week in Springfield Business Journal and at SBJ.net/lists.

The 2013 edition is unveiled tonight at SBJ’s annual Top of the List celebration with some 250 businesspeople at the Tower Club on the 21st floor of Hammons Tower.

Need a job? SWMO’s hiring

So you want to be a software developer making $80,000 a year? That reality could be yours.

Eight tips for 2,500 Missouri State graduates

More than 2,500 Missouri State University students last Friday said hello to the real world and goodbye to academia. I was there specifically for two students graduating from the College of Business Administration – one in the honors college and another among the growing number of Chinese students diversifying Springfield in their pursuit of education.

What could you do with 240 square feet?

Earlier this month, we noticed a unique 100-acre vacant property within city limits hitting the real estate market. This listing is quite the contrast: a 240-square-foot building on a 0.17-acre lot.

Rod Jetton talks candidly about charges

It’s old news, really. But in the context of awarding a sales and marketing honor, I had to ask Rod Jetton about allegations that he battered a woman during a sexual encounter in 2009 and how the process has affected his career – one that was in the public eye for eight years as a state representative and four years as House speaker.

A sneak peek of Bass Pro’s conference center

On a tour this morning of the White River Conference Center, I got a taste of Big Cedar Lodge right here in Springfield.

O’Reilly Hospitality follows in JQH footsteps

What one Springfield hotel development company couldn’t pull off in 2009, another Springfield hotel development company is attempting in 2012.