2022 40 Under 40 Spotlight: Dori Allen Grinder, 2011

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Then: Executive director, Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce
Now: Executive director, Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield

Dori Allen Grinder was chief of the Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce in 2011, and from there she went to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce to coordinate membership development. But in October 2020, Grinder made a switch to helming the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, a trade group.

“It may seem radically different, but it’s not,” she says. “We’re like a mini-chamber for our industry.”

Grinder, 48, says homebuilding and renovation work did not shut down during the pandemic.

“More people were working from home,” she said.

Drippy sinks became intolerable, and many people found themselves needing more work or study space.

“Demand for all services and products related to home just went through the roof,” she says.

Best advice to young professionals? Plug into whatever group is the best fit for you. That might be the chamber, a trade association, a civic organization – but plug in, because that’s how you build a professional network, that often turns into a friendship network – that you will carry with you throughout your career.