BIG IDEA #1: REBRAND OUR REGION



Like father like daughter: Jim and Rachel Anderson share a passion for economic development. They believe today’s efforts will pay off even more in tomorrow’s community.





For decades, Jim Anderson has championed a better community as president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and even now in his current role with CoxHealth. His daughter, Rachel Anderson, is a go-to eFactory resource for startups. She’s also a champion for women in business as co-founder of Rosie, a leadership advocacy group.

Team Anderson’s future 417-land would be renowned as the place to live for access to biking, hiking, running, fishing, hunting, watersports and more. In this scenario, our reputation for the outdoors—coupled with cultural arts, dining, health care and other city amenities—has attracted a talented workforce. And that has attracted more business, growing our economy.

That future won’t happen without developing a unified identity. And rebranding the outdoors seems a natural fit, particularly with Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. “Looking down the road, Wonders of Wildlife is certainly going to be a destination for people from all over the world, and it’s symbolic of what we have here,” Jim says.

Quality of life is more important than ever when it comes to attracting a workforce, Rachel says. People today expect it, “so we need to be competitive.” It’s a lesson gleaned from role-model cities Des Moines and Boise, where economic leaders committed to rebranding the arts and outdoors, respectively. In Springfield, “We don’t have one unifying brand, unfortunately,” Jim says. But we could if people are willing to take a risk.

Rebranding isn’t the duo’s only vision. For Rachel, our future includes more funding for entrepreneurs. Springfield has a reputation for small business development. But we need more investors stepping up to help startups grow into viable companies. “We need to increase our financial literacy both on the startup side but also on the investor side in different ways,” she says. She also envisions more respect for the value of creative arts—which research shows contribute to our economy.

Jim’s future includes more funding for mental health crises. If you look behind the opioid crisis and domestic and child abuse, he says, “It’s the root cause for so many issues we are dealing with in our community.” Despite our resources, he says, “the demand just so far exceeds the supply.”

The pair also envisions new community stories. Instead of touting cheap labor, we promote competitive wages and salaries. In addition to friendliness, we’re known for diversity and inclusiveness. Our leadership includes women and young professionals.

And in 417-land we’re known for our assets not our crime stats. Changes for these and more are in progress. “Those small things over the next 20 years will make a big impact,” Jim says.—By Sony Hocklander