Springfield’s relatively young Department of Economic Vitality bolstered its ranks on Monday by naming Danny Perches as the new assistant director.
Perches will join director Amanda Ohlensehlen and will work in community and economic development and project and policy formulation, some of which has the potential to impact the Springfield taxpayer.
The department has already played a significant role in Springfield’s economic growth, helping move along numerous projects related to the Forward SGF Comprehensive Plan and retail developments such as Costco and Buc-ee’s.
Meet Danny Perches
Economic vitality is nothing new for Perches, who has a background working with the business community in the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and with the City of Springfield as the development project facilitator in the City Manager's office.
Perches has a Master of Science from Missouri State University, where he studied industrial and organizational psychology.
According to Ohlensehlen, they had a significant pool of potential candidates, both external and internal, to fill the position. They ended up selecting Perches for the job, who will be the seventh member of the team in the department, due to his previous experiences in economic development.
“Very excited that he has experience working directly with the business community and really nurturing and growing relationships with the private sector,” Ohlensehlen said in an interview with the Daily Citizen. “He has worked on a variety of large- and small-scale economic development projects, is focused on building relationships and having a customer service-oriented approach to the way that our city functions relate to the outside public.”
Perches worked at the Chamber for six years, closing out his time there as the project manager of economic development. In that role, he helped manage capital investments, job creation projects and challenges facing the business community.
“A combination of my work experience is what led to me to the assistant director position because I felt I had a very well-rounded background to be successful in this role,” Perches told the Daily Citizen.
“He has a passion for making Springfield a vibrant place and will help us advance goals outlined in Forward SGF,” Ohlensehlen said in the press release that announced his promotion.
Economic Vitality Department and Perches both young to Springfield’s government
Both Perches and the Economic Vitality Department got their start in the city of Springfield government in 2021.
Perches joined the City Manager's office on March 29, 2021, where he worked to advance the relationship between the private and public sector as it related to development.
The department was formed in June 2021 when the Economic Development Office, which was a division of the Department of Planning and Development, became its own department and took on a new name.
“Establishing the Economic Vitality Department as its own standalone department has really elevated the functions of economic development and looking at economic development and the vitality of the community in a much more holistic manner,” Ohlensehlen said in the interview.
Its primary functions are to:
- Stimulate economic growth and reinvestment
- Organize significant and sustainable development projects
- Attract, retain and expand businesses
- Promote entrepreneurship
- Support business and tourism
What’s in store for the Economic Vitality Department in 2023 and beyond?
Despite the short time the department has spent separated from the Department of Planning and Development, it has undertaken big responsibilities that will have an impact on Springfield for years to come.
“There's a lot of great things that we're excited about here in this new department,” Perches said. “So we've got four really catalytic projects for our community that are really going to drive and shape our community for the next 10 or 20 years.”
Among the projects, the department will help work on is Grant Avenue Parkway and the Lake Springfield Area Plan, both a part of the larger Forward SGF, which Springfield City Council approved at the Nov. 14 meeting.
“Those are things that I'm really excited about and, and also, I'm just excited about continuing to work with city staff and in the private sector, to continue to be that liaison and drive economic development for the city of Springfield,” he said.
Ohlensehlen noted that with the adoption of Forward SGF, the department will begin focusing on the implementation process of the comprehensive plan.
“One of our next objectives will be developing a long-term economic development plan and strategy for how we can move the needle and accomplish some of the goals that are outlined in that plan,” Ohlensehlen said. “So it's a really exciting time for our department as far as strategizing our next steps and really solidifying some of the city's policies and processes to think about becoming even better over the next 20 years.”
Ohlensehlen pointed to the opening of Springfield’s first Costco and the groundbreaking at Buc-ee’s as early successes the department played a part in.
Perches will help Ohlensehlen guide the department through many ongoing and new economic development projects to help address Springfield’s current and future needs.
“So we really are looking at helping support projects on all different fronts,” Ohlensehlen said. “Really looking at how we can help improve the quality of life for our residents and citizens and provide opportunities to support investment by companies whether that's on the retail side or supporting industrial development as well.”
