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LEADERSHIP Business Leader Profiles
A MAN OF CHANGE Jim Anderson led Springfield through a quarter century of economic development. He did it through collaboration. BY TOM CARLSON
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THE CENTENNIAL
For those who have watched Springfield’s growth over the last few decades, they’ll likely remember that the city’s economic development efforts were stuck in the slow lane in the s. nlike the go-go days of the ’ s and ’6 s, growth had become a bad word. ven the mayor opposed it. or many, Springfield was a mid-si ed town where you could earn a living and raise a family. ut that belief ignored gathering storm clouds. anufacturing obs were dwindling as foreign competition moved in suburban growth led to the construction of attlefield all and the closing of the s uare to traffic had killed owntown and ommercial Street business and city revenues to maintain streets and sidewalks were inade uate. his was the situation im nderson took on as president of the Springfield rea hamber of ommerce in ebruary .
GROWING UP OZARK n arks native, nderson was familiar with regional dynamics. e grew up in ark, received an education degree from Southwest issouri State (S S and eventually moved to efferson ity where he married his wife, anet, and taught school. In , his path took a turn when he was hired to lead the efferson ity hamber. While there, nderson saw a lack of enthusiasm from the corner of the state where he’d grown up. he feeling in efferson ity about Springfield was that it did not want to be involved and ust wanted to do its own thing, he remembers. hen nderson wound up in Springfield and got a chance to change that. o change Springfield’s image in efferson ity, nderson used a coordinated approach to interface with the legislature. Shortly after taking the ob, nderson elevated the Legislative
Photos courtesy Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Jim Anderson became President of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce in 1988 and served in that role for 25 years.
