Missouri's Ozark Region

The seven county Ozark region is well-rounded.  In addition to a dynamic economy, it’s home to still-pristine Ozark forests and streams, the internationally acclaimed mecca of live entertainment, Branson, and the Springfield Cardinals.  Top industries in this area include Transportation/Logistics, Warehousing/Distribution and Manufacturing. The popular Bass Pro Shops and O’Reilly Auto Parts chains started in the Ozark Region.

April 2013- AT&T announced plans to hire 27 employees at their Springfield call center.

February 2013- Tank Components Industries announced plans to move to an 81,000-square-foot facility in Springfield’s Partnership Industrial Center West on West Division Street.  Along with the expansion, it also plans to add 27 new jobs over the next five years.

Executive Data Control, Inc. in Springfield announced plans to expand and bring 14 new jobs to the area. The company provides custom apparel, screen printing, embroidery, promotional products and printing.

November 2012- Diamond International of Springfield announced they had already hired five workers as part of its plans to hire 33 during the next three years to support the facility under construction in the New Prime subdivision southwest of Interstate 44 and U.S. Highway 65.

Paul Mueller Co. in Springfield announced they  had begun production of a new aluminum line of over-the-road trailer tanks and hired roughly 25 employees.

October 2012- The T-Mobile Customer Care Center in Springfield announced it is planning to hire nearly 90 more full-time Customer Service and Sales Representatives by the end of the year.

August 2012- Sunrise Communications, a call center for cell phone companies, announced it will relocate to a larger facility, creating 30 new jobs and making new capital investment of $300,000 in Springfield.

JMARK Business Solutions Inc., a company that specializes in the management and maintenance of the IT infrastructure for its business customers, announced plans to expand its headquarters, a capital investment of $564,000 that is expected to create 42 new high-tech jobs over the next three years.

July 2012- Queen City Winnelson Company, a  Springfield plumbing wholesale company, announced it would expand its existing facility while creating eight new jobs and making and new capital investment of $345,000.

June 2012- Branson-based Grand Crowne Resorts announced it was expanding and adding 125 jobs to the Springfield area.

May 2012- Arrowhead, a distributor and wholesaler of exterior building supplies and materials, announced plans to invest $3 million to construct a new 30,000 square-foot building and purchase equipment at their Strafford facility. They also plan to add ten new positions immediately.

Key Industries:

Health Care, Manufacturing, Transportation/Logistics, Warehousing/Distribution

Major Employers:

3M: (Springfield)
American National Property and Casualty: (Springfield)
AT&T: (Springfield)
Associated Wholesale Grocers: (Springfield) 
Bass Pro Shops: (HQ Springfield)
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad: (Springfield)
Chase Card Services: (Springfield)
Dairy Farmers of America: (Springfield)
Diversified Plastics: (HQ Nixa)
Euticals: (Springfield)
Expedia: (Springfield)
Great Southern Bank: (HQ Springfield) 
Hiland Dairy Foods: (HQ Springfield) 
Hutchens Industries: (HQ Springfield)
Kraft Foods: (Springfield)
Loren Cook Company: (Springfield)
McLane Company: (Republic) 
NorthStar Battery: (Springfield) 
O’Reilly Automotive: (HQ Springfield) 
Positronic Industries: (Springfield) 
Prime, Inc.: (HQ Springfield) 
Paul Mueller Company: (HQ Springfield) 
Regal-Beloit: (Springfield) 
SRC Logistics: (HQ Springfield)  
T-Mobile USA: (Springfield)
Tele Tech: (Springfield)
Teters Floral Products: (Bolivar) 
YRC: (Strafford)

Area	Population 2011	Population Projection 2030	Civilian Labor Force (July 2012)	Employment (July 2012)	Unemployment (July 2012)	Unemployment Rate (July 2012)
Christian County	78,570	131,066	41,234	38,709	2,525	6.10%
Dallas County	16,749	22,172	7,365	6,764	601	8.20%
Greene County	277,214	329,825	144,896	135,536	9,360	7%
Polk County	31,170	40,139	14,789	13,471	1,318	8.90%
Stone County	32,263	40,346	15,648	14,259	1,389	8.90%
Taney County	52,736	68,041	28,542	26,301	2,241	7.90%
Webster County	36,439	53,282	16,885	15,609	1,276	7.60%
Ozark Region Summary	525,141	684,871	269,359	250,649	18,710	6.90%

Median Wages:

The regional average wage was $649 per week in the 1st Quarter of 2012.

Major roads in the region include I-44, US-60, US-65, and US-160. I-44 provides access to St. Louis, Springfield, and Oklahoma City.

US-60 links Virginia to Arizona, with major junctions at Richmond, Lexington, Louisville, and Phoenix. US-65 runs from Minnesota to Louisiana. US-160 begins in Missouri and terminates in Arizona.

Two regional airports serve the region, in Branson and Springfield.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe provides Class I rail service.

Springfield (Pop: 160,660)
Nixa (19,303)
Branson (10,739)
Bolivar (10,334)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011

Higher Education Institutions:

College of the Ozarks: (Point Lookout) 4-year, private
Drury University: (Springfield) 4-year, private
Evangel University: (Springfield) 4-year, private
Missouri State University: (Springfield) 4-year, public
Ozarks Technical Community College: (Springfield) 2-year, public
Southwest Baptist University: (Boliver) 4-year, private 

Educational Attainment:

Area	High School Diploma	Associate's Degree	Bachelor's Degree	Graduate Degree	Total Degrees
Christian County	15,065	3,489	9,442	3,537	31,533
Dallas County	5,298	498	972	245	7,013
Greene County	51,866	10,647	31,042	16,883	110,438
Polk County	7,521	960	2,106	1,151	11,738
Stone County	8,859	1,633	2,512	1,503	14,507
Taney County	11,968	1,727	4,807	1,914	20,416
Webster County	9,191	1,360	2,100	1,257	13,908
Ozark Region Summary	109,768	20,314	52,981	26,490	209,553

Missouri State University Center for Applied Science and Engineering (CASE): Committed to the development and support of advanced materials, CASE provides engineering and support for electronics & devices, materials research, MEMS sensors and systems fabrication. CASE is also involved with “high risk” R&D, testing services, public safety issues, and educational opportunities for current and perspective employees.

Missouri State University Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences (CBLS): The CBLS is committed to the development and support of advanced biotechnology industries in Missouri.

 

 

The Ozark region is very well-rounded, with a healthy economy, a low cost of living, numerous state-of-the-art health care facilities, and one of a kind entertainment and recreational options.

Hospitals in the region include Cox Medical Center (Springfield), Citizens Memorial Hospital (Bolivar), and Skaggs Regional Medical Center (Branson).

Recreation is king in Branson, with three beautiful lakes, breathtaking scenery framed by the Ozark Mountains, and world-class entertainment options. With 50 live performance theaters, Branson is known as the "Live Music Show Capital of the World."  Other attractions in the area include Silver Dollar City amuseument park and White Water water park.

Springfield is home to the world’s only ride thru cave, Fantastic Caverns, the Springfield Cardinals Double A baseball team, as well as the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, the site of an important civil war battle.