Open for Business: CrossFit Republic

CrossFit Republic
CrossFit Republic LLC is under new ownership after the Oct. 31 purchase of the business by Zachary Standeford and his wife, Lyndsey, from founders Macy and Jennifer Mitchell. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by Standeford, who exited his role in October as a business strategist at Springfield Business Journal to pursue ownership of the Republic gym at 509 W. State Highway 174. Standeford said he’s been a coach for five years at CrossFit Republic. He said the gym, which started in 2013, has 360 members and utilizes around 20 contractors who work in coaching, child care and front desk jobs. Standeford said the Mitchells remain involved with the gym as coaches. Standeford said he and Lyndsey inked a three-year lease agreement with options for renewals with the Mitchells. The new owners also have the right of first refusal to buy the building in the future, he said. The company, which has an affiliation agreement with Washington, D.C.-based CrossFit Inc., offers strength and conditioning fitness training.
Phone: 417-732-5433
Web: CrossFitRepublic.com

Care to Learn
Springfield nonprofit Care to Learn relocated July 8 to 1047 S. Glenstone Ave. Its new headquarters is less than a mile from its former office space at 1740 S. Glenstone Ave., Ste. R, in Glenstone Square. Andrea Harp, Care to Learn marketing coordinator, said the nonprofit partners with nearly 50 school districts in Missouri to aid students with health, hunger and hygiene needs. Aside from housing its eight-employee staff, the new 5,164-square-foot office includes a dedicated space for stocking and distributing products for Care to Learn closets in the Springfield Public Schools district. Harp declined to disclose relocation and lease terms for the office. The move comes after Care to Learn hit a milestone in late 2023 of meeting 3 million health, hunger and hygiene needs for children in Missouri schools since its 2008 founding. Additionally, the nonprofit’s annual School Soiree event in September sold out with more than 500 guests and raised $511,042, according to officials.
Phone: 417-862-7771
Web: CareToLearn.org

Fresh Gallery
Although its closure was announced in early October, the Fresh Gallery in downtown Springfield reached a deal the following month to remain open as a commercial venture. Artists Jennifer Hyde and FrankQue Graham are now the owners of the 401 N. Boonville Ave. art gallery, effective Nov. 1, said Hyde, declining to disclose financial information. The cooperative art gallery, formed in 2009, previously operated under the fiscal agency of the Springfield Regional Arts Council, with SRAC handling back-office functions and a collaborative of artists running its day-to-day operations. Hyde said she learned of the opportunity after stopping into the gallery around the time its previous operators were making decisions on its future. While the new owners handle the business side of the venture, the collaborative of roughly 20 artists continues to have a say in the featured work, Hyde said. Hyde said she and Graham have taken over the lease of the building, which is owned by Nick Sibley.
Phone: 417-862-9300
Web: FreshGallery.org