Mo. chamber presents long-range plan in Springfield

Missouri Chamber of Commerce & Industry officials visited Springfield this morning to present a long-range plan and gather input on improving the statewide business climate.

Dubbed Missouri 2030, the 15-year plan calls on business leaders to step in to improve the state’s economic status by brainstorming ideas and leading solutions to solve problems. According to the state chamber, Missouri lost over 17,000 jobs 2002-12, ranking the state 39th in job growth. During the decade, Missouri’s economy grew at the 47th slowest rate among the 50 states, the chamber reports.

During a presentation to roughly 40 people at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Missouri chamber President and CEO Dan Mehan showcased the results of a Gallup survey commissioned to find shortcomings the 2030 plan could address.

The survey polled 1,000 businesspeople statewide. The findings, according to the chamber, rank Missouri as a mid-range state “at best,” a belief the chamber is hoping to correct with input from benefactors.

Gallup identified nine key areas: education, talent, infrastructure, business input, tax environment, health care, labor relations, regulatory environment and political leadership.

“Hopefully this rising tide’s going to raise a lot of ships,” Mehan said of the expected outcomes in improving the identified areas. “We need to position Missouri as a much larger player in a global environment.”

Among key findings, the Gallup survey found 20 percent believe politicians are committed to improving the state business climate.

“Policy needs to trump politics as opposed to the other way around,” Mehan said.

He pointed to the failure of a 3/4-cent sales tax in August to shore up transportation funding as a legislative issue adversely affecting the state’s business climate.

“We lost the game on Amendment 7. I don’t think we can walk away just because we lost. We’ve got to get that one right,” Mehan said.

With input from businesspeople statewide, the chamber is slated to release the next part of its 2030 plan in the first half of the year.[[In-content Ad]]