Trevor J. Mitchell

TMITCHELL@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Tom Billionis, owner of The Coffee Ethic and a central figure in the downtown Springfield community, has died, according to a spokeswoman for Mercy Hospital.

No cause of death has been released, but Shawn Matthews, CEO of downtown custom T-shirt business Swagbot and a friend of Billionis, said Billionis was running on the Sac River Trail on Saturday when he suffered some sort of medical emergency.

He was 44, and is survived by a wife and three children.

Billionis had been a presence in Springfield since December of 2007, when The Coffee Ethic opened for business.

On Saturday night, friends and associates of Billionis were still in a state of shock.

"Everybody keeps thinking this is just a cruel joke," Matthews said. "He impacted a lot of people. He was an integral part of the downtown community."

Matthews said Billionis was a man who was looking out for the good of his community, not his business, and was "very passionate" about it.

"The Coffee Ethic attracted a lot of different people," Matthews said. "He met and interacted with people from all over the world. That's a legacy that won't be forgotten."

Nate Murphy, manager of Cherry Picker — a business Billionis helped bring to the Rountree neighborhood — echoed Matthews' comments.

"Tom's big investment was always in people, not in business," Murphy said. "He saw the value in people before they saw the value in themselves."

Billionis was "a big part of why downtown is the way it is today," said Murphy, who was gathered at Cherry Picker with several others who knew Billionis.

Since 2007, Billionis had become one of downtown Springfield's biggest proponents, encouraging many others as they opened their own businesses.

"His attitude was 'If I can do it, they can do it,'" said Sean Brownfield, owner of downtown Springfield's Dapper Barber. "To me, he was a pillar."

John McQueary, co-owner of Hotel Vandivort, said that while Billionis started his business in a poor economic climate, "he had a vision and a passion, and he followed it." McQueary said watching Billionis' success was an inspiration when working to bring Hotel Vandivort to Springfield.

Important as he was to downtown Springfield, friends said his actions were felt elsewhere as well.

"He had an impact in the coffee community beyond Springfield," said Shawn Askinosie of Askinosie Chocolate. "He had an impact in the business community beyond downtown, beyond Cherry and Pickwick."

Askinosie said he and Billionis started their Springfield businesses around the same time, and that — apart from encouraging — he always saw him as a connector.

"He connected people he thought should know each other," Askinosie said. "I was amazed at the people he knew all around the country."

While downtown Springfield will continue on, for now, friends and associates are working to deal with the hole they say Billionis' death leaves. The Coffee Ethic and Cherry Picker both closed early on Saturday.

"I had a beer with him last night," Brownfield said. "I had coffee with him this morning. He was supposed to be here tonight."

"I don't know how life moves forward from here."

What's going in that little building at Cherry & Pickwick?

Some grateful for smoking ban, others still fuming

Coffee Ethic now roasting its own