Citizen Inc. by SBJ Podcasts SBJ Podcasts

You’ve heard of O’Reilly Automotive Inc., the Springfield-based auto parts retailer that’s been a darling of Wall Street since going public.Well this episode, we sit down with an O’Reilly, Tim O’Reilly, the grandson of company co-founder Charlie Chub O’Reilly. Tim’s not in the auto business but we’ll find he’s definitely influenced by his family culture.Tim's soft spoken but direct in leading his company, O’Reilly Hospitality Management, in putting philanthropy at its core: "It kind of g...

From the onset, it’s obvious co-host Greg Burris and guest Cora Scott have great rapport from years working together. She’s the city of Springfield’s director of public information and civic engagement. That last part of her title is unique and adds a layer to her job that involves corporate citizenship.

Missouri State University is home to over 20,000 individuals and it’s a breeding ground for the next workforce and community leaders.In this conversation, I hear that President Clif Smart Views corporate citizenship as a living organism on campus. And he and his team have a big influence and a front row seat for the next generation of professionals. We get to understand their psyche in this episode.

Tabatha Morrow has a very unique job. In her words, she handles “everything community” for Chase in Springfield, Missouri. And it’s a big job. The Chase call center Is one of the largest employers In the region, with over 1,000 on the team. It seems to be working. Here's the bottom line:"On an average year we generally support 50-70 events and upward of 5,000 volunteer hours in the community. I think it's important to understand – like, one person, you may feel like your impact is small, but ...

Welcome to the future. This episode is like a crash course for what's coming in our workplaces and in our communities. We get into the ethos of young professionals – through the lens of Jessica Harmison-Olson. She’s a partner in Maxon Fine Jewelry and also is in leadership with The Network, a local young professionals program. Jessica speaks from both vantage points:"I think there's a generational shift that's happening. Employees and employers are seeing that and the ones that do adapt are t...

So, this is a special episode. It's our only one with two guests. And for good reason: Jonathan Groves and Morey Mechlin are the co-chairs of the annual Community Focus Report. They've worked the past year-plus with other leaders to identify our community's red flags and blue ribbons (you can see them all at SpringfieldCommunityFocus.org). As such, it does run a little longer - there’s a lot of ground to cover.