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Downtown West Plains, Inc. (DTWP) was
chartered in March of 1998 as a “not for
profit” 501 (c)(3) corporation. Its board was
made up of seven downtown business
owners, one city official and one official of
Missouri
State
University-West
Plains
campus. Its major goals at that time were to
preserve the historic architecture of the
central
business
district,
renew
its
infrastructure, and make it a desirable place
to live and do business.
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DTWP hired its first director, John Dalton.
It also contracted with a Brenda R. Spencer of
Wamego, KS, an architect with experience in
historic downtown renovation and planning,
to create a Master Plan for physical
improvements.
This plan was completed and published in
October of 1999.
It was summarized in a ten year plan for
improvements to be made in the downtown
area.
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The board moved quickly with Spencer’s plans by hiring
Becky Snider, a Historical Preservation Consultant, to help
create a National Historic District.
This was accomplished by a grant from the Missouri DED
matched by the City of West Plains and DTWP. Spencer
had recommended the creation of a district to help protect
the historic nature of the downtown and to make tax
credits and other funding available for public and private
projects.
Snider completed this two-phase project in 2002 with the
successful listing on the National Register of Historic
Places of the Courthouse Square Historic District.
These efforts by DTWP spurred new interest in private
development resulting in over two million dollars in
remodeling projects in the next two years.
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The board also worked with the City and its TIF
district to assure $500,000 in funding for downtown
improvements.
Soon after that it invited Senator Christopher Bond to
visit West Plains and see the progress being made by
public and private endeavors in our downtown.
Following that visit Bond worked with the City of West
Plains to acquire $500,000 in HUD funds for the
further development of Spencer’s plans.
In response the City not only used TIF monies to
match the HUD grant but invested close to an
additional $1,000,000 in funds to bury all downtown
utilities, put in new street lighting, change the plan of
the Court Square and install new parking, planters
and entrance signs for downtown.
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By the end of its first five years of existence DTWP
had brought $5 million in improvements to the
downtown area and was well on its way to
accomplishing many of the items on its 10 year plan.
In the spring of 2005 a report was released by the
Small Business Administration in Washington D.C
stating that West Plains was the top creator of new
entrepreneurs in the state of Missouri and among the
top fifty locations in the United States.
This announcement came at the same time as DTWP
was studying what to do with the former Butler
Furniture Company building. It seemed too large for
private development, but was located at the entrance
to the downtown at the corner of Business 63 and
Washington Avenue.
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With little idea of what it entailed, the board
decided a business Incubator that would work
with the entrepreneurs; the Small Business
Administration had identified was the best use
for the building.
The purchase of the building would accomplish
several of the goals in our master plan: the
renovation of a large historic building; the
creation of new businesses for our community;
increased traffic flow in the downtown area; and
to serve as an anchor project moving into a new
ten year plan.
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Downtown West Plains, Inc.
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Two business owners from DTWP
Ozark Action
Radio Station owner
City Economic Development Specialist
Small Business Development Specialist
Chamber of Commerce
University of Missouri Extension
Missouri State West Plains (Community College)
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In August of 2005 DTWP approached the Butler
family and purchased the building for
$350,000. A down payment was made with
$5,000 raised by DTWP and a $95,000 loan from
the City of West Plains.
◦ The City forgave this loan in the following year.
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A ten year note was given to the Butler family on
the balance of $250,000 with interest to be set
each October at the interest rate paid by the
largest CD available at Community First National
Bank.
◦ The West Plains Industrial Development Association
makes this payment monthly.
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The Advisory Committee does a SWOT
Analysis.
Begins to seek funding for remodel.
Begins to develop remodel plans.
Several Meetings
Several Meetings
Several Meetings
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An application for NAP tax credits was made in June of 2005 and DTWP
was awarded $50,000 in credits for a $100,000 drive. This effort
concluded in July of 2008 and was successful in raising $77,000 for the
OzSBI project.
A “building” committee was formed at that time to steer this process
consisting of members of DTWP, SCOCOG, Ozark Action, Work Force
Development, the City of West Plains, Howell-Oregon Electric Coop, and
the EDC.
Requests to the Delta Regional Authority for $50,000, the Community
Development Block Grant Program for $250,000 and to the USDA for
$87,000 were all made and were successful (the Delta grant was later
rescinded by mutual agreement after hurricane Katrina).
In 2006 West Plains was named a DREAM Community and in a visit to
West Plains, Governor Matt Blunt increased the Block Grant to $400,000.
A fourth grant was applied for in 2005 and 2006 to the Federal
Department of Health and Human Services for a $400,000 grant to raise
income to low income families, but was unsuccessful.
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In 2006 proposals were reviewed and the
architectural firm of Gaskin, Hill and
Norcross, Springfield, Missouri was hired to
prepare plans for the project. In the fall of
2006 the exterior sheet metal facade was
removed to reveal the brick facade put on the
building in 1908 by Mr. Bond. As bids were
being prepared on the first phase of work on
the exterior of the building, the southwest
corner collapsed in early January of 2007.
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The Block Grant administrators allowed us to
use $30,000 of the grant in emergency funds
to stabilize the building and remove the
debris.
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May of 2008 a grant requests to the Missouri
Block Grant Program (CDBG) for $250,000,
the Economic Development Administration
(EDA) for $500,000 and to the Missouri
Development Finance Board (MDFB) for
$250,000 through their tax credit program.
Plans were also in place to request NAP
credits for a $250,000 fund drive in March of
2009.
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In the spring of 2008 a second committee of
DTWP spilt off the original “building” committee
with the assignment to create a plan of operation
for the OzSBI. One of its first requests was to
join the National Business Incubator Association
Retreat was scheduled in August to discuss the
many ideas members learned at a NBIA
conference.
From the retreat the need to create a detailed
business plan and accompanying budget were set
as high priorities and that committee worked
diligently on that plan.
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The region, and in particular the community of West
Plains, has a history of financially supporting the
growth of community betterment projects.
In the case of the OzSBI, businesses, organizations,
and individuals have generously contributed to its
development.
Over the past 5 years, local support has exceeded
$250,000.
Since November 2009, the Team has sought
donations for the Founder’s Club and exceeded their
$100,000 goal.
In December 2010, an additional $80,000 was raised
through the Certified Incubator Tax Credit program.
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2011- $65,000/50% certified Tax Credits
$130,000 Raised.
2012 – Raised 105,000 through the Missouri
Development Finance Board.
2012 -$45,000 in 50% certified Tax Credits
OAI/Rural LISC
Community
Certified Business Incubator
Missouri Development Finance Board
Certified Business Incubator
Series1
Small Business Administration
EDA
CDBG
Rural Development
City of West Plains
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
Several Banks and Business donated furniture
that they were no longer using.
 Operation Jump Start in Cape Girardeau paid
to train facilitators then provided a seed grant
to conduct three trainings in the region.
 Bruce's/Armstrong Lumber provided the
flooring.
 Security, Internet, Construction donations.
 West Plains R-VII, Building Trades did some
of the contruction.
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Operation JumpStart, a 36-hour hands-on
training program has been offered five times
with over 50 entrepreneurs.
Twelve Operation JumpStart graduates have
already started new businesses.
Graduates have created 24 new jobs.
The existing Incubator Clients have created
an additional 20 jobs in our region.
OzSBI has offered 22 one-night Business
Workshops.
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Hosted two seven-week sessions of “Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People” with 22
participants.
Eleven-week course of Growth Venture which
had 12 business owners in attendance.
The Governor of Missouri (Jay Nixon) has
requested to us the building for two major
state announcements.
Finished first two phases of interior remodel.
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At the Governors Conference on Economic
Development September 7, 2013- Received
The Governors Award for “Community
Redevelopment Project of the Year”
408 Washington Ave
West Plains, Missouri 65775
 417-256-9724
 www.ozsbi.com
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