Citizen Inc. by 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 goes back to my upbringing. It's all I've ever known. My parents and family, they were very focused on community outreach and trying to good things to help people. It has a lot of basis in our religion and how we were raised. "Someone who's a giving person fits well with hospitality."

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 when you add it together with 500 other employees, you're making a huge impact."

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 thriving. And those that aren't, it's a little more difficult to find employees and that's not where you want to be today."

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.

In this episode, we talk with Stephanie Johnson, a human resources professional living the labor wars. She's got a front-row seat, hiring by the dozens for Paddio, a nationwide online mortgage company based in Springfield, Missouri. So what does a financial technology firm care about community? A lot: "That's what today's workforce is looking for. They're looking for that cultural competency and cultural responsibility of organizations. They're kind of demanding it upfront: the work that I'm doing, how can you show me it's having impact elsewhere?"

“I just got goosebumps.” Tyrone Bledsoe leaves that kind of impression on people. He’s got a big personality and it’s infectious. So much so That community stakeholders in Springfield recruited Bledsoe and his national organization to town. We get to know Student African American Brotherhood, aka SAAB. Here’s the work they do in the community: “Savings lives, salvaging dreams”

It doesn't take long being around Scott Bybee before you hear him say the G word. It's all about generosity. He comes by it honestly, as he credits his dad and company founder Eugene Bybee with living generously at home and work. Today, ESC Consulting Engineers continues that legacy to the point that donations are basically a line item on the company's balance sheet: "We basically say it's 2% of revenue we're going to give away. When you say 2% of revenue, that doesn't sound like a lot, but that's a lot of profit. It gets to be a pretty good-sized number. It's a blessing to be able to do it."

Sometimes all it takes is a few words. We start this episode with 5: "I think five of the most powerful words in any business is: Who's got a good idea? Is that five? Who's. Got. A. Good. Idea. Yea, that's five." Don Harkey is a business consultant with an engineering mind and a love for corporate culture. He has clients with People Centric Consulting Group that are winning the job market. Right now. We hear those stories as well as Don's advice and analogies, like this one: "You’re in a campground, and a grizzly bear walks in. The grizzly bear is fast; they can run faster than you can. The grizzly bear is hungry and about to eat somebody. What’s your best strategy? You can’t outrun the grizzly bear. Your best strategy is to simply outrun the other campers. That’s what’s happening in the employment market right now."

We start this episode with some advice from Jena Holtber-Benge, the general manager of John Deere Reman. She kids at first, but the advice is sincere: "I don't know how to say it any stronger than, if you let go of the reins a little bit and let your employees choose and get engaged in that you're going to reap so many more benefits than the 10 minutes or the hour or the eight hours that you're giving."

Shawn Askinosie is the founder of Askinosie Chocolate, an international company based in Springfield Missouri. We chose this conversation with Shawn because it captures why Citizen Inc. exists. Shawn’s been on his own corporate citizenship journey for 15 years - since starting Askinosie Chocolate after a life-changing transition from a successful career as a high profile criminal defense lawyer. There are some moments where you can hear those familiar courtroom arguments coming through - and it’s clearly driven by passion. He opens up to let us see the soul of his company.

Citizen Inc. - A show that explores how corporations and CEOs are taking ownership of the Springfield, Missouri, community in various ways - as well as the opportunities that still exist. A career journalist (Eric Olson of Springfield Business Journal) and a seasoned nonprofit director (Greg Burris of United Way of the Ozarks) team up to draw out some surprising results in company culture, recruitment, retention and profits. These stories about giving back are helping to grow corporate citizenship and boost the bottom line. We are Citizen Inc.