Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Springfield, Missouri where he visits with key players in the business community who are propelling economic vitality throughout the region.
Askinosie Chocolate Factory in downtown Springfield is our first stop where we visit with Shawn Askinosie who gave up a successful law career to follow his passion for creating world-class chocolates. Askinosie shares profits with his small-scale family run cocoa bean growers in Ecuador, the Amazon, Tanzania and the Philippines.
Next up is a visit with Sally Hargis, VP/Chairman of the 100 year-old family-run Ozarks Coca Cola-Dr. Pepper bottling operation-serving Missouri and Northwest Arkansas.
Springfield Underground is a unique 3.2 million square-foot industrial park housed in a mammoth underground limestone cave. Join John Griesemer, President and CEO of the 3rd generation family run operation. Clients include Kraft, Vital Farms and the Meta Data Center. More than 600 hundred truck-and-trailer rigs shuttle in and out of the limestone caverns every day.
The heart of 40-acre Finley Farms is the circa-1833 Ozark grain mill. The modern incarnation of the farm was the vision of noted conservationist and founder of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris. In addition to farm tours where visitors learn about the farm’s organic practices, the riverside destination is a multi-purpose event destination for weddings and much more. We’ll meet up with Dayle Duggins and her miller, Blake Adams.
Located within the Ozarks Technical Community College, the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing serves as a regional hub for all advanced manufacturing and technology-related education and training. We’ll meet up with Executive Director Robert Randolph, for an insider’s tour of the cutting-edge facility.
David Cameron, the town of Republic’s City Administrator, shares his passion for engaging the citizenry while propelling economic development and environmental compliance. Republic is a small town just outside Springfield.
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