Business View Magazine | March 2020

336 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MARCH 2020 to improve the right-in/right-out access that I mentioned earlier. There are a lot of things that we’re doing through various organizations as we try to build out additional sites for the industries that we’re looking to bring to this area.” “That project also plays back to the public/ private partnerships that we spoke of earlier,” says Colvin. “The developer, who owns that property, has worked very closely with CoxHealth, and Nixa Utilities is partnering to bring all the robust utilities into that area at a very reduced, if any, cost to them. We’ll also be the coordinator, along with some third-party utilities, to make sure that the communication fiber that comes in there will work well, as well.” Another project supported by Show Me Christian County is a regional trail study coordinated by the Ozarks Transportation Organization. “We have identified those trail pipelines for connectivity that will eventually connect Nixa to the Springfield Greenway trails, and over to our neighboring municipalities, as well,” says Sitzes. “It’s a big piece of recruiting more destination retail and family-oriented businesses. We are becoming very intentional about how we move forward, and we realize that tourism is a big economic driver. And being able to have walkable communities is a big part of that. In this area, we sit on a 10-million visitor funnel between Branson to our south and Springfield to the north. The more that we can connect all of our communities, the more it helps everyone enjoy our assets.” Sitzes also believes in marketing Nixa as a place where entrepreneurship and home-based businesses can thrive. “Nixa was one of the first five cities in Missouri to be classified as a Gig City, through our partnership with Suddenlink Communications,” she reports. “We’re realizing that this is a preferred place for people to live in this area, and we want them to be able to conduct their operations from their home. Here, you have the ability to conduct a world-class business from the comfort of your home and Wicklow Neighborhood - Courtesy of Colby Moore Photography