Ozzie Smith-branded clinic to open in central Springfield

SBJ PHOTO BY GEOFF PICKLE

IMAC Holdings CEO Jeff Ervin checks up on construction at the Ozzie Smith clinic in the Sagamore Hill Center.

Ozzie Smith-branded clinic to open in central Springfield

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB EDITORgpickle@sbj.net

Brentwood, Tennessee-based IMAC Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: IMAC) is working to bring a regenerative health care clinic to a rapidly filling central Springfield mixed-use center.

Branded after the Hall of Fame former baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Ozzie Smith IMAC Regeneration Center is scheduled to open this fall by Oct. 1, said IMAC Holdings CEO Jeff Ervin. He visited Springfield this morning to check on the progress of infill construction by Branco Enterprises Inc. at the Sagamore Hill center, across from Mercy Hospital Springfield at Sunshine Street and National Avenue.

“It’s quite central to the population of Springfield,” Ervin said of the choice to lease 7,500 square feet at the center for undisclosed terms.

Andrea Graddy, a spokeswoman for IMAC, said the 15- to 20-employee center would utilize a specialty health care process that combines new technologies with physical and chiropractic therapies as an alternative to surgery or prescription pain medicine.

“You can use the healing power of your own body to regenerate tissue,” she said, pointing to stem cells and platelet-rich plasma used in the regenerative health care process.

Ervin declined to disclose infill costs for the clinic designed by Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective. Located adjacent to the recently opened Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe, the Ozzie Smith IMAC Regeneration Center fills the remainder of the easternmost building at the Sagamore Hill center, said Ryan Murray of R.B. Murray Co., which serves as the listing agent for the development.

Murray provided documentation showing the easternmost, 3,800-square-foot building and a roughly 1,500-square-foot spot in the central building, next to Craft Sushi, are the only remaining spaces left in the 23,546-square-foot center. The center is less than a year old.

For IMAC Holdings, the new center becomes the flagship location in Springfield after its entry into the market last year with the purchase of Advantage Therapy LLC, Ervin said. Ozzie Smith IMAC centers also are located at 1845 E. Turner St., Ste. E, and 2017 W. Woodland St. in Springfield, as well as Ozark and Monett.

Ervin said IMAC operates 14 clinics, and their names change based on the brand ambassador, with others including Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price, University of Kentucky basketball Hall of Famer Tony Delk and and Mike Ditka of the NFL.

For the new Springfield clinic, Ervin said Smith may appear in the fall for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The Rock is ready to roll in Galloway

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ROCK

The Rock restaurant and bar is set to begin operations June 10 at the Quarry Town development.

BY: MIKE CULLINAN, REPORTERmcullinan@sbj.net

The second anchor tenant for the $14 million Quarry Town development in Galloway Village is on the verge of launching.

Opening day for The Rock, a restaurant and bar from the owners of Bair’s Sports Grill, is scheduled June 10.

Located at 4018 S. Lone Pine Ave., the concept owned by Tim and Jennifer Bair is inspired by landmarks such as Stone Chapel at Drury University and St. John’s Episcopal Church, which used stone quarried from the Ozarks.

“I guess opportunity drew us there,” Tim Bair said of the desire to become part of Quarry Town, a mixed-use development from Green Circle Projects LLC. “I was always familiar with the Galloway area, such as Sequiota Park. I just love the history of the area.”

The Rock’s pending opening was preceded in Quarry Town by the December 2018 launch of Great Escape Beer Works LLC, a two-story brewery owned by Jake and Jen Duensing. Great Escape is the other anchor tenant for the development.

Bair declined to disclose startup costs for the approximately 2,900-square-foot restaurant, but noted the architect was Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective with infill work by H.C. Rogers Construction Group LLC. The Bairs signed a 10-year lease with a pair of five-year options with Green Circle Projects at an undisclosed rate.

“It’s a little more upscale casual,” he said of the restaurant’s interior decor, which features use of dark walnut, marble and nearly 25-foot ceilings.

Seating is extensive, Bair added, with capacity for 122 people inside and approximately 75 more outside with a covered deck, as well as a pair of patios complete with fire pits.

“We’re going to have a little bit of everything for everyone,” Bair said, regarding the menu filled with burgers, sandwiches, pizza, salads and soups. “It has a lot of healthier options.”

Some menu offerings include an ahi tuna poke, cauliflower crust pizza, quinoa, and chicken topped with gruyere and chimichurri sauce.

The menu at The Rock is designed to be a complement to its brewery neighbor, Great Escape, which doesn’t sell food, Bair said.

“We’ve become pretty good friends with those folks,” he said of the Duensings.

The Rock plans to have a kiosk set up at Great Escape that will allow patrons to order food electronically and not have to leave the brewery to eat.

“They can place an order, pay for it and it prints at our kitchen next door, and we’ll bring their food over, “ he said. “It’s something we’ve never done, but it’s a win-win for both of us.”

Businesses relocating to historic, renovated Bolivar building

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DOUGLAS, HAUN & HEIDEMANN PC

Ollis/Akers/Arney and Douglas, Haun & Heidemann soon will be tenants at the First National Bank building, where renovations are nearly complete.

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB EDITORgpickle@sbj.net

Insurance company Ollis/Akers/Arney and law firm Douglas, Haun & Heidemann PC are relocating their Bolivar offices to a renovated, historic building on the city’s square.

They’ll each occupy space in what’s historically known as the First National Bank building when renovations are completed this summer, according to Pat Douglas, the developer of the 108 N. Main St. property and an attorney at Douglas, Haun & Heidemann.

“This building has held more than just history within its walls. It’s helped establish the town of Bolivar as we know it today,” Douglas said in a news release. “I’m proud to have spearheaded this project, bringing life back to a piece of history on the Bolivar square.”

The building, according to the release, was built in 1907 after being designed by Kansas City architects Thomas Wight and Edward T. Wilder. FNB occupied the building until 1932, when the Great Depression forced a sale to Polk County Bank. The building has been sold multiple times and has housed businesses including Ozarks Utilities Co., Empire Electric Co., Adams-Adams Mortgage Co., Walker’s Dairy Bar and Philly’s Ice Cream.

The building is registered as a historic place with the National Park Service under the criteria of architecture and commerce, according to the release.

The move for Springfield-based Ollis/Akers/Arney comes after the agency entered the Bolivar market last year with the purchase of The Paul Long Agency. It currently operates at 417 S. Springfield Ave. and is scheduled to relocate on June 1.

Paul Long, according to a separate release, leads Ollis/Akers/Arney’s Bolivar market. With the move to Main Street, Long will be a third-generation family member to work on the Bolivar square.

“That’s pretty special and means so much to me and my family,” he said in the release.

Salute To Springfield's Soul: Get To Know The Medical Arts Building

Medical Arts Building 1930

Exciting announcement coming Spring of 2019 about this local landmark!

The Medical Arts Building was built in 1928-1930. The building was erected at the southeast corner of South Avenue and Pershing Street at a cost of $425,000. It soon was filled to capacity, mainly with doctors, dentists and other medical-related offices. It was conveniently located near St John's Hospital, Burge Hospital and Baptist Hospital. The eight-story building was owned by bondholders under the directorship of the Greene County Medical Arts Association.

In 1944 Springfield real estate dealer O.L. Burger purchased the building. The building was at 90 percent capacity at the time of the sale. The following year Arthur Eichholz purchased the building. He owned the building for 18 years along with General Properties, a family corporation including Eichholz’s son Richard and Maurice Bilyeu. During this time the building was consistently at nearly full capacity. It was renamed the Empire Building.

“New ideas need old buildings.”

New life coming to the Medical Arts Building.

In 1963 Butler And Associates, an architectural firm, purchased the Empire from General Properties Inc. They paid over $300,000 for the building. Throughout the 1960s and through the 1970s the Empire fell on hard times. Park Plaza Development Company purchased the building in 1972. In April, 1974, each of the nine remaining tenants received letters asking them to vacate the building. Empire Bank had acquired the property through a foreclosure. Empire Bank had a second mortgage on the building and a first mortgage on its parking lot. Great Southern Savings had a first mortgage on the building. The Empire was vacated on May 1, 1974. In 1976 Diversified Land and Cattle Company acquired the building. Partners James Crawford and Darence Clenginger were the first occupants. In 1978 the Springfield City Directory listed the building’s name as Park Central Towers. In 1977 Burrell Behavorial Health moved into the building, where they stayed until 1984. By 1980 there were several tenants in Park Central Tower. The 1985 City Directory shows Great Southern Insurance occupying several floors, the Greene County Democratic Committee in the ground floor and miscellaneous other businesses in the building. From approximately 1990 Great Southern Bank occupied the entire building.

Fast Forward to 2020: New life in…THE MOXY!

The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into the new Moxy Hotel, which is slated to open in downtown Springfield in the summer of 2020, is the lack of a traditional check-in. Need to get your room key? See the bartender. “This project will speak to future generations,” says Tim O’Reilly, CEO of O’Reilly Hospitality. “This is more entertainment-focused.” Thatʼs an understatement.

Moxy—one of Marriott’s new boutique hotel brands—is a splashy, party-themed economy hotel geared toward young travelers and adventurers looking to have, as O’Reilly calls it, “an entertaining experience.” The hotel’s website is a mix of black and hot pink with images scrolling by showing hotel guests reveling in the nightlife. The tagline here is “Play On.” Wi-Fi is free. The coffee is fresh, and craft cocktails are waiting. The boutique concept is a relatively new one for Marriott. Moxy Hotels debuted in 2014 with the first location opening in Milan. Since then, Moxy Hotels have popped up in major cities including New York City, Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta, New Orleans, Seattle and Denver. When O’Reilly pitched the idea to open Moxy’s third Midwest location in Springfield, he had some convincing to do. “We had a lot of conversation,” he says. “This is pretty different from their normal strategy where they focus on big urban markets.” To prove to the Marriott team that the Queen City was ideal for something edgy like Moxy Hotels, O’Reilly invited them to tour the historic building he planned to renovate. It worked. “When they visited downtown and saw the building and the historical significance, they became big fans of the project,” he says. Eventually, Marriott issued the Moxy franchise for the project.

SBJ Spring 2019 Architects & Engineers Project Report: Innovative Dental

BY: CHRISTINE TEMPLE, FEATURES EDITORctemple@sbj.net

Posted online March 25, 2019 | 3:03 pm

Innovative Dental
3192 E. Farm Road 188

Innovative Dental plans to open its second office in early 2020 just south of the Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital on U.S. Highway 65. It’s designed as a two-story building with a modern steel frame, a glass lobby and exposed structural steel. Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective is the project architect and mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer. Larry Snyder & Co. is the general contractor, and engineering work is from Anderson Engineering Inc., civil and landscape; and Miller Engineering PC, structural.

SBJ Spring 2019 Architects & Engineers Project Report: The Cliffs at Long Creek, Phase III

BY: CHRISTINE TEMPLE, FEATURES EDITORctemple@sbj.net

Posted online March 25, 2019 | 2:56 pm

The Cliffs at Long Creek, Phase III
915 Long Creek Road, Ridgedale

The six-story addition to The Cliffs at Long Creek vacation resort is on a cliff overlooking Table Rock Lake, just south of the Route 86 bridge. The 53-unit project is a joint venture between Bluegreen Vacations and Big Cedar Lodge. The design blends a rustic aesthetic with the surrounding landscape. Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective served as project architect and provided mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering work. Additional engineering was by Anderson Engineering Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and SWT Design Inc. (St. Louis), landscape. The project is slated for completion in summer 2020.

SBJ: Spring 2019 Architects & Engineers Project Report: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective

Spring 2019 Architects & Engineers Project Report: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective

BY: CHRISTINE TEMPLE, FEATURES EDITORctemple@sbj.net

Posted online March 25, 2019 | 1:56 pm

Anderson Engineering offices
3213 S. West Bypass

Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective is the project architect and mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer for Anderson Engineering Inc.’s new offices. The $2.5 million project, according to a city building permit, comprises a roughly 10,000-square-foot office building and 5,000-square-foot testing lab. The two buildings will be connected by an outdoor patio and covered walkway. The office area features private and open offices, a work room, conference rooms, large meeting space and break room. Base Construction & Management LLC serves as general contractor while engineering work is by Anderson Engineering, civil and landscape; and Miller Engineering PC, structural. The project, financed by Commerce Bank, is expected to be completed in December.

SBJ: Spring 2019 Architects & Engineers Project Report: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective

RENDERING PROVIDED BY BUXTON KUBIK DODD DESIGN COLLECTIVE

Spring 2019 Architects & Engineers Project Report: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective

BY: CHRISTINE TEMPLE, FEATURES EDITORctemple@sbj.net

Posted online March 25, 2019 | 1:51 pm

Mid-Missouri Bank Operations & Retail Center
1619 E. Independence St.

Mid-Missouri Bank has plans for a new three-story bank and operations building, comprised mostly of metal panels and glass, to replace its current headquarters just 100 yards to the north. Planned design features include the permeation of natural sunlight and an outdoor deck area on the roof. Project architect Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective also is providing mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering work. DeWitt & Associates Inc. is the general contractor and additional civil and structural engineering work is handled by Toth & Associates Inc. The project is expected to wrap up by June 2020.

From the Ground Up: BluCurrent Credit Union

SBJ PHOTO BY WES HAMILTON

BY: ERIC OLSON, EDITOReolson@sbj.net

Posted online February 25, 2019 | 6:19 pm

Owner/developer: BluCurrent Credit Union

General contractor: Nesbitt Construction Inc

.
Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective

Engineers: Lee Engineering and Associates LLC, civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, mechanical, electrical and plumbing.

Size: 2,500 square feet

Estimated cost: $765,000

Lender: None

Estimated completion: June

Project description: After working with Base Construction & Management LLC in the preliminary design phase, BluCurrent spokeswoman Jacqueline Post said Nesbitt Construction was hired for the construction. Project completion was pushed back a few months to early summer due to re-engineering, she said. Officials had set a first-quarter opening for the branch, the cost for which has increased about 20 percent due to materials pricing. Post said it’s designed with a technology bar, interactive kids’ area, a mixed media wall and member conference areas. The new branch, which would be BluCurrent’s fourth, represents a return to Glenstone Avenue. The credit union sold a location near Glenstone and Seminole Street over five years ago. BluCurrent President and CEO Craig Tabor has said the credit union plans to open another branch or two in the next few years, and it owns property at the northeast corner of Campbell Avenue and Weaver Road slated for a new operations center and possible branch.

Anderson Engineering to break ground on new HQ

BY: SBJ STAFFsbj@sbj.net

Posted online February 19, 2019 

Anderson Engineering Inc. plans to break ground on its new headquarters this month after receiving a needed annexation and rezoning from Springfield City Council for the relocation in the fall.

The engineering firm scheduled a 10 a.m. Feb. 28 groundbreaking ceremony at 3213 S. West Bypass, according to a news release.

Officials plan to move into a 10,000-square-foot office from their current space at 2045 W. Woodland St.

“As we continue to expand, this facility will fit our existing needs and allow us to continue that growth,” Anderson Engineering CEO Neil Brady said in the release. “The new space will provide our employees with collaborative workspaces, training facilities and additional amenities and resources to help us better serve our clients across the country.”

With architecture work from Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, Base Construction & Management LLC is the general contractor for the project that includes a separate 5,000-square-foot materials testing lab with a loading dock. Commerce Bank is financing the project, the cost of which was not included in the release. An Anderson Engineering official could not be reached for the figure by deadline, and a city building permit does not display the estimated cost for the project.

Anderson Engineering representatives went to council in September 2018 to have the 9-acre property annexed into the city. The purchase of the land from Donald Williams was contingent on the annexation and a rezoning to highway commercial from suburban residential, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Council approved the annexation and rezoning during its Sept. 24 meeting.

Anderson Engineering expects to relocate its 40 corporate employees to the new headquarters in December, according to the release.

New north-side hotel, event center open

Holiday Inn Express & Suites spans nearly 63,000 square feet. PHOTO PROVIDED BY KEVIN ALGEO

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB PRODUCERgpickle@sbj.net

O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC opened its new Holiday Inn Express & Suites and adjacent Moon Town Crossing event center in north Springfield.

Kevin Algeo, general manager for the 111-room hotel at 3050 N. Kentwood Ave., said the lodging facility opened to customers Feb. 1 after the completion of the $13 million, nearly 63,000-square-foot project he said started about a year ago. Moon Town Crossing, located at 3070 N. Kentwood Ave., held its first event — a monthly open house — on Jan. 13 as construction continues at the craftsman-style event space, said Cassidy Palmer, the venue’s sales and operations manager.

“As we get closer to the finish line, we’re going to start doing bigger and bigger events,” Palmer said, noting Moon Town’s construction is expected to be fully complete by early April. “The patio area is done. The inside of the building is almost completely done, except for the flooring.”

SBJ FILE PHOTO

Construction continues on Moon Town Crossing,

For Moon Town, wooden beams for the barn-like structure were made at Ozark Timber Frame’s Amish community in El Dorado Springs and shipped to the development site in Springfield, according to past reporting.

O’Reilly Hospitality CEO Tim O’Reilly’s Glen44 Investments LLC owns both properties. They’re managed by O’Reilly Hospitality.

A city building permit put the estimated cost of Moon Town Crossing at $334,764, Springfield Business Journal previously reported. Larry Snyder and Co. served as general contractor with Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective as architect for both projects.

At Holiday Inn, Algeo said six rooms were booked Friday after the hotel opened at 3:30 p.m. Four rooms were booked Saturday, with a couple others on Sunday, he said.

“We weren’t in the system until we went live,” Algeo said, noting with reservations now available, he expects bookings to increase.

SBJ Design Team of the Year finalist: National Place

BY: CHRISTINE TEMPLE, FEATURES EDITORctemple@sbj.net

Posted online November 5, 2018 | 3:07 pm

Owner/developer: National Place LLC
General contractor: BP Builders LLC
Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective
Engineers: Lee Engineering and Associates LLC and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective 
Interior designer: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective
Size: 30,000 square feet
Cost: $3 million
Project completed: November 2017

Most people might have missed the potential of the narrow lot at the corner of National Avenue and Montclair Street. That’s not the case for Jon Dodd, principal and director of architecture at Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective. 

“Many people thought this site was not capable of being developed the way that it was,” he said. “Most just saw this site as a narrow piece of ground for another one-story, monotonous strip center development. Until this team came along.” 

One hurdle early on was zoning requirements that caused height limitations. 

“Pockets were designed into the wood truss floor and roof structure to accommodate overhead mechanical equipment allowing the floor-to-floor heights to be lower,” Dodd said. 

The 32,000-square-foot office and medical building located in the middle of the Medical Mile houses seven tenants, including Buxton Kubik Dodd, Missouri Trust & Investment Co. and Family Back & Neck Care Centre, as well as PrimeLending in an adjacent freestanding building. 

Dodd points to design highlights as the three-story lobby, with an open glass element, and a covered rooftop terrace.

“There are a lot of amazing things about this building, from its striking modern design [to] how it glows at night,” he said. “We were able to preserve and renovate the existing 1960s-era office building on the site, bringing the once-vacant eyesore up to par with the newer modern building design.”

SBJ Design Team of the Year finalist: Boomer Town Studios

BY: CHRISTINE TEMPLE, FEATURES EDITORctemple@sbj.net

Posted online November 5, 2018 | 3:06 pm

Owner/developer: Boomertown Lofts LLC
General contractor: Larry Snyder and Co.
Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective
Engineers: Lee Engineering and Associates LLC, Miller Engineering PC and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective 
Interior designer: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective
Size: 41,381 square feet
Cost: $4.5 million
Project completed: August 2018

Boomer Town Studios was developed with the convenience of on-campus dorms – due to its close proximity to Missouri State University – and coupled with the design and feel of solo apartment living.

The 70 single-occupancy, fully furnished 391-square-foot studios are situated in a four-story walk-up just 200 feet from MSU across National Avenue, said Brian Kubik, principal, architect and president of Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective.

The studio complex is designed to house two commercial tenants within the bottom floor, he said, and Travellers House Coffee opened Sept. 24 in one of the spaces.

Kubik said construction crews were on a tight timeline to finish by the start of MSU’s fall semester. 

“Once the project got going, it went fairly smooth,” he said. “If there were any issues at all they were simply making efforts to be good neighbors with the Rountree Neighborhood Association and scheduling construction deliveries to a limited accessible site.”

The site required public utility upgrades, he said, including a greater electrical capacity and a new water main on National.

Kubik called the project a “tremendous upgrade from the former single-family dilapidated residence structures between Page and Madison streets.”

He said his favorite design element is the development’s contemporary look with clean lines.

SBJ: Mid-Missouri Bank to build new HQ, branch

Mid-Missouri Bank to build new HQ, branch

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB PRODUCERgpickle@sbj.net

Posted online October 19, 2018 | 11:55 am

Mid-Missouri Bank isn’t going very far for its new combined headquarters and full-service branch — about 100 yards, in fact, a company spokesman says.

Director of Marketing Andrew Moore said the company is in the early design stages for new construction just in front of its current, longtime corporate offices at 1619 E. Independence St. 

“They’ve just widened James River (Freeway) there,” he said. “We felt like that was prime real estate.” 

Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective is designing the new office and branch that Moore said would decrease its operations space from a current 23,000 square feet. 

“We have a lot of unused space here,” Moore said, noting the company has operated at the building since it was built in 2002.

Mid-Missouri’s 42 current corporate employees, along with one more planned hire, would relocate to the new building, he said. Design features planned include the permeation of natural sunlight and an outdoor deck area on the roof. 

In tandem with the construction plans, Mid-Missouri listed its current buildingwith R.B. Murray Co. for sale at $3.1 million. 

With the new branch, Mid-Missouri would operate 14 banking locations. Noting the bank already owns the land where construction will take place, Moore was unsure when the building would be completed.

SBJ: Restaurant, brewery opening at Quarry Town

SBJ PHOTO BY ERIC OLSON

Commercial space is expected to be complete by month’s end for Green Circle Projects LLC’s Quarry Town in Galloway Village.

Restaurant, brewery opening at Quarry Town

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB PRODUCERgpickle@sbj.net

Posted online October 17, 2018 | 3:46 pm

Last edited 9:21 a.m., Oct. 18, 2018

A new brewery and restaurant concept have signed on as anchor tenants for Green Circle Projects LLC’s Quarry Town development in Galloway Village.

The Rock is the latest restaurant idea from the owners of Bair’s Sports Grill, slated for a February 2019 opening, and Great Escape Beer Works is underway to launch next month, according to a Green Circle Projects news release.

Leases signed by two office tenants brings the preopening occupancy rate to 30 percent for the 20,000 square feet of commercial space currently in Quarry Town. Also underway is work to create 100 apartments at the $14 million development site, 4006 S. Lone Pine Ave.


Green Circle Projects spokesman Matt Wagner said the development’s commercial space is expected to be complete by month’s end. Quarry Town has 14,000 square feet of additional retail and office space the company is marketing. 


Tim and Jennifer Bair’s The Rock is inspired by landmarks such as Drury University’s Stone Chapel and St. John’s Episcopal Church, which used stone quarried from the Ozarks.

“Quarry Town is the perfect setting for our new venture,” Tim Bair said in the release of his new 2,900-square-foot restaurant and bar. “Having seen the success of Farmers Park, we knew it would be a place others would want to visit.” 


Great Escape owners Jake and Jen Duensing are finishing up their 3,000-square-foot space in Quarry Town to open next month. The Duensings’ two-floor taproom would join around 10 other breweries either operating or planned in Springfield. Sisters Carol and Susan McLeod recently announced they’re targeting a summer 2019 opening for their Hold Fast Brewing company at the former Fire Station No. 1, 235 N. Kimbrough Ave.


Prosperity Financial Group and Patterson’s Hospitality Agents are the two office tenants signed on for Quarry Town. Prosperity, a financial planning and wealth management firm, is moving its five employees from its current office at 1354 E. Kearney St. Patterson’s Hospitality Agents, a company that supplies and installs quartz, granite, shower and tub enclosures for the hospitality and multifamily industries, is joining Quarry Town as it ramps up to also cover purchasing and design services, according to the release.

Ross Construction Group LLC is expected to complete the apartments in February.

SBJ: New HQ positions Zimmerman companies for growth

A ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for Zimmerman Properties LLC, Zimmerman Properties Construction LLC and Wilhoit Properties Inc. is scheduled for Friday.

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB PRODUCER

The family of companies under the Zimmerman Corporate LLC umbrella are now operating in a new headquarters that’s “sized for future growth,” according to one of the companies’ top executives. 

Bob Davidson, chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Zimmerman Properties LLC, Zimmerman Properties Construction LLC and Wilhoit Properties Inc., said the relocation to 1329 E. Lark St. created a space with room to grow. City building permits put the approximate development cost at $4 million. 

“We sized the corporate office so we could probably comfortably hold 120-130 employees,” he said, noting no hiring plans are currently in the works. “It’s just more opportunistic as the company continues to grow. It goes with the economy and the opportunities that we find.” 

Davidson said the family of companies outgrew their leased space at Green Circle Projects LLC’s Southgate Shopping Center, 2144 E. Republic Road, about five years ago. Since “almost everything we do on our properties runs through our corporate office,” Davidson said the new campus’ flow and space — compared with tight working quarters inside Southgate — are more efficient for some 90 corporate employees. 

From the new headquarters, Zimmerman employees manage $50 million in annual revenue, mostly made through the apartment-building Zimmerman Properties Construction business, and assets in 17 states, Davidson said. The companies’ portfolio comprises around 15,000 rental units housing 40,000 residents. 

The Zimmerman companies moved into the Lark Street campus on July 13, said Office Manager Pamela Gertz. A ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for the nearly 32,000-square-foot campus is scheduled Oct. 12.

Base Construction & Management LLC started building the new corporate offices in summer 2017, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective was the project architect.

SBJ From the Ground Up: Volt Credit Union

From the Ground Up: Volt Credit Union

2624 W. Republic Road

BY: ERIC OLSON, EDITOReolson@sbj.net

Posted online October 1, 2018 | 3:13 pm

Owner/developer: Volt Credit Union
General contractor: Federal Construction Inc.
Architect: Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective
Engineers: Lee Engineering and Associates LLC, civil; Miller Engineering PC, structural; and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 11,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $2 million, per city permit
Lender: None
Estimated completion: early January 2019
Project description: Formerly Community Financial Credit Union, the 80-year-old financial institution rebranded this summer, and officials say this new headquarters is central to the identity and cultural shift. The credit union currently operates one branch, on Tampa Street downtown, after leaving Walnut Lawn Street and National Avenue to make way for Kum & Go’s convenience store expansion. Volt Credit Union President and CEO Loretta Roney said a marketing campaign dubbed Revolt Against Banking as Usual coincides with the name change and new branch. “We’re really trying to take away the traditional bank environment,” she said. The lobby is designed with teller pods and dialogue towers for clients and staff to congregate around, she said, as well as a coffee station and tech area for videos, games and educational content. Roney said Frank & Maven agency is handling marketing and VoltCU.com is under development by Hook Creative.

Green County Family Justice Center set to open Oct. 1

An interview room at the Family Justice Center located on the second floor of the Greene County Courthouse

(Photo: Nathan Papes/News-Leader)

The new furniture has been delivered. The walls are painted. The staff — including victim advocates, law enforcement and prosecutors — have moved their desks into the cubicles.

The Greene County Family Justice Center will open on Oct. 1, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The event will also serve as a kickoff for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams and a domestic violence survivor will speak at the ribbon cutting. There will be an open house at the center until noon.

The center is located in the second floor of the Greene County Courthouse, in a 3,000-square-foot space that was once home to the prosecutor's office.

The center's project coordinator, Jamie Willis, explained that the location is temporary. The center will probably be housed in the courthouse for one to three years.

"The county commissioners were super amazing in letting us use this space temporarily," she said. "Because without that, this would not have been able to happen as quickly."

Once the center is in operation, Willis said the steering committee will have a better idea of what a suitable permanent location would look like.

Described as a "one-stop-shop for victims of domestic violence," the center brings together law enforcement, nonprofit service providers like Harmony House and the Victim Center, legal services, children's division and the prosecutor's office all in one location.

Willis recently gave the News-Leader a tour.

"It's a lot different atmosphere than it is out in the courthouse," she said, motioning around the front lobby to the freshly painted, pale blue walls.

Within the center, there are four "soft interview" rooms. Each room has a couch and living room-type furniture, rather than just a table and chairs common in traditional interview rooms.

Local interior designer Kris Evans, with Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective, donated her time to create the soft interview rooms.

"The courthouse is not really a friendly environment," Willis continued. "Especially for people in crisis. So when they come in, the atmosphere completely changes."

When victims come to the center, they will be checked in and screened. Then a navigator — a victim advocate from either Harmony House or the Victim Center — will explain what service providers are at the center. The victims decide who they want to talk to in the interview room.

Books and Buildings: Student housing developments not diminishing dorm occupancy

BY: KYLE BOAZ, REPORTERkboaz@sbj.net

Posted online September 17, 2018 | 3:48 pm

Books and Buildings: Student housing developments not diminishing dorm occupancy

Springfield is in the midst of a near decadelong student-housing boom. Since 2009, nearly $185 million has been spent to keep roofs over those seeking higher education. 

Following the development of Eko Park in August 2009, there have been at least 20 projects developed specifically for student housing in the Springfield area, and three more developments are set to open in the next two years, according to Springfield Business Journal research. SBJ search parameters comprised multitenant student housing complexes based on proximity to campuses and the target student demographic for developers.

Even with that growth, there is no concern about students filling up the dorms at Missouri State University.

“We’re pretty close to capacity,” said Gary Stewart, director of residence life, housing and dining services at MSU.

Since the student-housing boom began almost 10 years ago, MSU’s enrollment is up 4 percent to 21,309 students in fall 2018-19, according to MSU’s website.

All first-year students are required to live on campus unless they are over the age of 21 and students need 30 credit hours, said Stewart. Those stipulations are usually met at the completion of freshman year.

Ozarks Technical Community College benefits from the expansion of student housing since its campus lacks that ability.

OTC sits in between two student-housing complexes, the 85-unit Greenway Studios on East Webster Street and the 580-bed Aspen Springfield at 1028 St. Louis St. 

“The increased options for student housing give those students who are looking for a place to live when they move to Springfield more choices,” said Mark Miller, director of communications at OTC, via email. “Plus, the increased supply of student housing helps keep the cost affordable for OTC students, most of whom work part- or full-time while going to college.”

In the last decade, enrollment at OTC’s Springfield campus is down 12 percent to 7,447 students currently. In 2009, enrollment was 8,503, according to school officials.

Another local university echoed the sentiment that the housing boom isn’t affecting on-campus living.

“I don’t think we’re seeing a significant impact from that trend at this time,” said Mike Brothers, executive director of university relations at Drury University. “We are a traditional residential liberal arts college experience and part of that means living on campus.”

The 38,000-square-foot University Suites was added to the Drury campus in 2012 for its upperclassmen student population. It can house 72 students.

“It’s typically full. That’s the most desirable on campus,” said Brothers.

Drury has three residence halls, which Brothers said are 95 percent full, reserved for freshman and first-time college students. 

Drury has a residency requirement, and to live off campus, students have to be a junior or senior and over the age of 21. Brothers said there are some exceptions, like medical needs or living within 30 miles of campus with family. 

The demand to live off-campus at Evangel University is waning, according to school housing officials. 

“They actually have had less requests than in years past,” said Evangel spokesman Paul Logsdon.

In the six residence halls at Evangel, there are 1,030 occupied beds out of the 1,272 available for both male and female students, said Pam Smallwood, Evangel’s housing director.

Students at Evangel that take less than nine credit hours, live at home with family, are married, over the age of 23 or have a special circumstance are allowed to live off-campus, according to the school’s off-campus information criteria. 

More on the way
The developments are still coming. 

St. Louis-based Cornerstone Development Inc. is building a 348-bed complex at 430 E. Walnut St. slated to open in August 2019. 

The $23 million project dubbed Vue on Walnut is on schedule and leasing for the complex will begin in the next few weeks, said Cornerstone Development President Sam Chimento. 

Another current project in excess of $20 million is the new dormitory for MSU. At Holland Avenue and Madison Street, it’s scheduled to be completed by Bryan Properties LLC in fall 2020.

The dorm’s estimated cost is $24 million and it will have room for 400 students, according to MSU officials.

With the new developments near MSU, the company behind the Bear Line service has not considered adding additional lines.

“Most of the builders are building closer to campus instead of farther away,” said owner Howard Fisk of Fisk Transportation LLC. “It’s become a bigger campus community versus one spread out all over Springfield.” 

The last route added was a temporary one used for shuttling to Ellis Hall and Hill Hall two years ago.

“They tend to do experimental routes when things like this pop up,” Fisk said.

Fisk does not consider the housing boom a detriment to business, adding most Bear Line stops are within a few blocks of the new properties developed.  

How the boom happened
The project that kicked off the boom for student housing came in 2009 with the development of the $8.5 million Eko Park Apartments at Catalpa Street and Kansas Expressway, two miles southwest of MSU. 

Beacon Commons, University Suites, Deep Elm, The Jefferson and Beacon Park Apartments were the next developments to follow. 

In the summer of 2015, four new housing options came on the market. Near Hammons Student Center, the 40,000-square-foot The Qube opened at a cost of $7 million. The 32,000-square-foot, $4 million Greenway Studios went up at 934-940 E. Webster St., near OTC, and Pad Madison, the $2 million project at 405 E. Madison Ave. also opened that summer. The market also attracted Austin, Texas-based Aspen Heights Construction LLC to build the $40 million Aspen Springfield across from Hammons Field. That was the fourth property to open that summer.

Recently, the final phases of Bear Village were completed with the total cost of the project now at $48 million. 

800 South opened in August at 830 S. Robberson Ave. and already is at 99 percent capacity, according to past SBJ reporting.  

The newly developed Boomer Town Studios has a majority of students as tenants, said Brent Brown. 

“From what I’m seeing and hearing about the overall occupancy is we’re still filling these places up,” Brown said. 

Brown also owns Greenway Studios and said that property is about 60 percent students.

One of the largest development projects costing nearly $30 million was Park East by The Vecino Group. 

Sky Eleven and Cresco are the most recent additions. The Sky Eleven project was realized in 2015 after a $15.5 million renovation of the Woodruff building at 331 Park Central East. The 60,000 square-foot Cresco building, a $5.5 million project, was completed in August 2017.

Moon Town Crossing: Craftsman-style event space going up fast in north Springfield

PHOTO PROVIDED BY O’REILLY HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT LLC

Crews are working to bring Moon Town Crossing to fruition by year’s end.

BY: GEOFF PICKLE, WEB PRODUCER gpickle@sbj.net

O’Reilly Hospitality Management LLC is bringing an unconventional event space to the north side by year’s end.

The hotel development and management company is targeting an early December opening for the 5,000-square-foot venue dubbed Moon Town Crossing, said Alicia Cosgrove​, area manager for O'Reilly Hospitality. She declined to disclose the project cost.

The development site is located between O’Reilly Hospitality’s Macadoodles store and its Holiday Inn Express & Suites underway at the northwest corner of Interstate 44 and Glenstone Avenue. Cosgrove said the hotel should open around the same time as Moon Town Crossing.

Moon Town Crossing features hand-carved wood infrastructure by Amish company Ozark Timber Frame LLC. With garage doors that create options for the venue to host open-air events, Cosgrove said the completed structure will resemble a barn.

“The O’Reilly family has used them for several different personal projects,” she said of Ozark Timber Frame. “They know the craftsmanship, which is kind of a lost art. They’re structurally sound and they last forever.” 

The wooden beams for the structure were made at Ozark Timber Frame’s Amish community in El Dorado Springs and shipped to the development site in Springfield. O'Reilly Hospitality hired Larry Snyder and Co. as general contractor and Buxton Kubik Dodd Design Collective as architect on the project, Cosgrove said.

The free-standing event venue between O'Reilly Hospitality’s other properties also will feature a courtyard with fire pits and seating. The goal, Cosgrove said, is to host concerts and festivals at Moon Town Crossing, as well as rent out the venue for private events. 

Cosgrove said O’Reilly Hospitality plans to add similar event venues to its lodging properties in Fort Worth, Texas, and Livingston, Montana. 

Less than two miles south of the new event venue in Springfield, O’Reilly Hospitality is building a convention center to connect its new Fairfield Inn and DoubleTree properties at Glenstone Avenue and Kearney Street.