Doug Pitt started his computer firm in 1991 and sold it in 2013. His company, ServiceWorld, was a past recipient of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award. ServiceWorld was also recognized as the Springfield Business Journal’s Philanthropic Business of the Year. In 2017, he bought back his company and launched Pitt Technology Group, LLC.

In 2014, Pitt founded Pitt Development Group, LLC. After a decade of developments in apartments, strip centers and land development - Pitt and PDG solely focus on Medical Office Space and land development.

Although Doug starts his day out in the real estate and tech world, it gets interrupted often because of many philanthropic pursuits.

Much of Doug’s time rests in the continent of Africa. In the Spring of 2010, Doug was named the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Republic of Tanzania by President Jakaya Kikwete. This honor was the first Goodwill Ambassador position ever awarded by the country of Tanzania.

As Ambassador, Doug works with NGO’s, businesses and faith based organizations that want to do business or provide humanitarian partnerships in Tanzania. Past efforts include clean water, schools, agriculture, sanitation and tourism. Doug is currently working with Waterboys.org in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Doug’s work in the clean water space in East Africa garnered the attention of the government and many leaders. Doug is a board member of WorldServe International, which operates one of the largest water drilling companies in East Africa. WorldServe has brought the gift of clean water to over two million people since Doug joined their efforts in 2006.

Doug may be spending a lot of time halfway across the world, but he also has a heart for kids right at home. In 2008, Doug founded Care To Learn with the mission of funding child health, hunger & hygiene needs. Since its inception, Care To Learn has expanded to 36 chapters and funded over 1,800,000 child requests to children in Missouri. Doug is an advocate for children and is a past co-chairman of the Springfield Homeless Task Force, acting as the voice of the over 500 named homeless children who everyday face struggles in Southwest Missouri.

Doug was a past honoree of the Starkey Hearing Foundation along with President Bill Clinton with their Humanitarian Leadership Award for his work in Africa and his work domestically with Care To Learn.

Doug is a past Chairman of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. He has been a Rotary Volunteer of the Year, a Missourian Award Recipient and inducted into the 2019 Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame.

Anthony Tolliver, former 14-year NBA basketball player, offers more than deep 3’s on the court. Off the court, he is a passionate businessman, entrepreneur, family man and man of God.

Being a successful basketball player and a successful entrepreneur have many similarities. In basketball, there is an understanding that the more time and effort put in, the more you get out. Being an entrepreneur is very much the same. Even as a young kid, Anthony started his own businesses mowing lawns, and detailing cars. He went on to graduate from Creighton on a basketball scholarship with a bachelor’s degree in finance. His hard work continued through his 14 year NBA career, also being chosen as an executive board member for the NBPA 8 of those years.

Anthony is most proud of his family. He and his wife, Jessica met during freshman orientation at Creighton and have been married since 2011. They have 4 children together: 2 sons—Isaiah (9) and Elijah (5), and 2 daughters—Lennox (6) and Zyara (3).

The foundation of who Anthony is comes from his relationship with Jesus. As a man of God, Anthony lives out his faith every day, and desires for God to be glorified in everything he does. No matter the ups and downs of life, he leans on Proverbs 3:5-6 to keep going.

In the past 13 years, he has specifically focused on real estate, and seed funding—his business ventures range across many sectors including Tech, Media, Retail, Direct to Consumer, Software, E-Commerce, Group Fitness and many more.

With the combination of experience, knowledge, passion and energy, Anthony is a highly sought-after speaker with the mission to spread financial literacy and encourage people to pursue their dreams. In 2021, Anthony also contributed to his first book “Foundation for Financial Excellence” with author Ryan Schachtner.

Whether it’s a training session, men’s retreat, college event, church event, or a team huddle, Anthony embraces every opportunity to share with the same enthusiasm. With topics from financial literacy, investments, faith, leadership, and motivation, he is a perfect speaker for business leaders, athletes, and young adults. At 6’8, Anthony has a commanding presence on the stage, but his knowledge and passion is what captures the audience!

Tom joined JMARK in 1997 upon completion of enlistment to the Navy, where he was awarded two Navy Achievement medals. One of which was a result of his passion for technology when he upgraded his first computer and designed a financial reporting database. As a level one engineer at JMARK, he worked his way up the ranks before purchasing the company in 2001. Tom had to make some hard decisions and downsize the company to only 6 people. Now, with over 110 employees, JMARK is a leader in its space.

As JMARK’s CEO, Tom is a trusted technology adviser to a global list of clients. He has been named to the annual MSP Mentor 250 leadership list five times. Nationally, he is an in-demand speaker on leadership and technology, including culture and people puzzles, operational efficiencies, executive strategies, entrepreneur tactics and more. Tom has also been involved in acquisitions and startups in technology and space. Tom’s latest passion is to share the lesson-learned from building a great business which celebrates the culture and people who make it successful.

Amanda has merged her father’s proven process with her own forward-thinking ideas to connect the old-school sales process with hybrid online and offline instant gratification short attention span we see of consumers today.

Her success has made it clear that she was born to lead. In the first two year of taking helm of the company, Amanda increased leads by 1176%, and doubled coaching clients two years in a row. Since then, Amanda has continued to scale the company making an impact worldwide with continued double-digit growth.

Based on Chet Holmes’ New York Times Best Seller The Ultimate Sales Machine, which was voted in the top 10 most recommended sales books of all time, Amanda’s mission is to teach the last and most important lesson that her father never got to reveal to radically change the lives of those passionate about success and sales.

David Cameron has served as City Administrator for the City of Republic, MO since July 2016.  David is a native of Miller, MO, having returned to his roots after spending sixteen years with the City of Siloam Springs, AR where he served in the same capacity. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR.  He has devoted his working career to local government addressing process improvements, bridging relationships between government and the development community, infrastructure deployment, economic development, and environmental compliance. Under his leadership, Republic has recognized substantial growth in every development market and successfully executed over 1.7 million square feet and $200 Million in industrial development between 2020-2021. David possesses a passion for casting vision, leadership, and navigating the largest challenges facing the organization.  In 2021, 417 Magazine named him as one of the “10 For the Next 10” leaders to watch for the next decade. 
In addition to being City Administrator, David is an avid golfer that likes to believe one day he will get better. He is strong advocate for promoting work-life balance through programs which allow extended breaks away from a professional career. He is a member of James River Church, serves on the Ozarks Transportation Organization Executive Board and Republic Community Foundation. David and his wife, Michelle, have been married over 27 years with three adult children outside the home.   

Dr. Hal Higdon is chancellor of the Ozarks Technical Community College System and president of the OTC Springfield campus. In these roles, Dr. Higdon oversees the strategic direction of the institution and works to strengthen its resources and funding. Prior to his time at OTC, Dr. Higdon served 13 years in administration with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He also worked in human resources and workforce training at Alabama's Faulkner State Community College and spent several years in private business.

Throughout his career, Dr. Higdon has been heavily involved in a variety of community service organizations. He currently serves as vice-chair for the Board of Directors of CoxHealth Systems and as secretary/treasurer of the Burrell Behavioral Health Board. He is a member of  the Phi Theta Kappa Advisory Board and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board. He is also a part of the Junior League of Springfield's Community Advisory Council and Springfield's Downtown Rotary Club.

Dr. Higdon previously served as vice-chairman of economic development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He was a member of the Springfield Business Development Corporation and the Community Relations Board of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners. Dr. Higdon also served as chair of the Presidents and Chancellors Council of Missouri Community College Association (MCCA), which represents community college interests in the state legislature and professional and governmental agencies. 

Born in Decatur, Alabama, Dr. Higdon holds a degree in business from the University of Alabama and a master's and Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Phil Graves is CEO of Wild Idea, a regenerative buffalo meat and leather company. Prior to joining Wild Idea, Phil was a VP at Patagonia, where he ran global corporate development and founded and managed the corporate venture capital fund called Tin Shed Ventures and Patagonia’s resale business unit called Worn Wear. He also served as Chief Sustainability Officer for Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s and as board member for Bureo Inc., Mango Materials Inc., UC Berkeley Haas’s Center for Responsible Business, and the Regenerative Organic Certified food label. Phil spent the first 10 years of his career in financial advisory consulting with Deloitte and PwC. He graduated with honors from Texas A&M University, earning BBA Accounting and MS Finance degrees. Phil is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist 100 Fund Manager.

Brett Payne is an American businessman and entrepreneur who is best known for creating Contender Esports, a video game center franchise with locations found throughout the world. He also worked in developing the franchise for Classic Rock Coffee and expanding the growth of that brand to such places as Pakistan, Nigeria, UAE, Jordan and many others outside of the US.

Prior to his work in business, Brett spent 25 years in non-profits and lived 7 of those in the Ukraine building 26 university campuses.

Joshua Sullivan is the founder of the often award-winning and usually infamous Fried Design Company, a passionate if not occasionally illogical hospitality investor, a self-proclaimed expert on gas station cuisine, and last, but most certainly not least, a trying-his-best family man. His work typically specializes in the cannabis, alcohol, food, hospitality, and lifestyle industries - but mostly he just likes to have fun and make cool stuff that folks enjoy.

Dr. Hal Higdon is chancellor of the Ozarks Technical Community College System and president of the OTC Springfield campus. In these roles, Dr. Higdon oversees the strategic direction of the institution and works to strengthen its resources and funding. Prior to his time at OTC, Dr. Higdon served 13 years in administration with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He also worked in human resources and workforce training at Alabama's Faulkner State Community College and spent several years in private business.

Throughout his career, Dr. Higdon has been heavily involved in a variety of community service organizations. He currently serves as vice-chair for the Board of Directors of CoxHealth Systems and as secretary/treasurer of the Burrell Behavioral Health Board. He is a member of  the Phi Theta Kappa Advisory Board and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board. He is also a part of the Junior League of Springfield's Community Advisory Council and Springfield's Downtown Rotary Club.

Dr. Higdon previously served as vice-chairman of economic development for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. he was a member of the Springfield Business Development Corporation and the Community Relations Board of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners. Dr. Higdon also served as chair of the Presidents and Chancellors Council of Missouri Community College Association (MCCA), which represents community college interests in the state legislature and professional and governmental agencies. 

Born in Decatur, Alabama, Dr. Higdon holds a degree in business from the University of Alabama and a master's and Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Creative professional in the Specialty Coffee Industry owning The Coffee Ethic in downtown Springfield since 2007 and co-owning Cherry Picker Package & Fare since 2016. Fifteen years of experience in specialty coffee sourcing, roasting, and production. Enjoys a visionary role in business pursuits and mobilizes teams to realize the business vision. Passionate about marketing, design, brand management, and product development. Prior experience as an educator, coach, and freelance visual designer. Active in recreational sports, hiking, cycling, and other outdoor adventures. Loves movies, art, local food, and craft beverages with friends and family. Always striving for a full, balanced life.

 Tony is the Chief Marketing Officer of Show-Me Organics, operating leading Missouri cannabis brands like Vivid, Blue Sage, Buoyant Bob and Missouri's Own—which won a 2022 Grand Clio Cannabis Award for its inventive marketing. Prior to cannabis, he worked at top advertising agencies in San Francisco on notable projects including crisis management for Wells Fargo in 2018, saying goodbye to Oakland and hello to San Francisco on behalf of the Golden State Warriors, repositioning Credit Karma as a champion of personal finance, and launching new brands such as Lucid Motors, Landing, and Fruit Smash Seltzer from New Belgium. 

A native of London, England, Mark has spent the last 21 years working in the tourism industry.

Mark is the President & CEO of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) responsible for economically enhancing the Springfield region through tourism development, sales and marketing initiatives. Mark joined the SCVB in January 2023 and leads a team of 18 tourism professionals.  

Prior to joining the SCVB, Mark led Travel Butler County (TBC), the official Destination Marketing Organization for Butler County, Ohio.  Mark led the award-winning organization since its inception in 2006 and a team of nine.  Mark and his team were directly responsible for annually generating over $65 million dollars in economic impact each year.

Under Mark’s leadership, TBC was at the forefront of pushing the Butler County Tourism community forward through countywide branding, community collaborations, destination development, product creation and innovative marketing. The work of TBC has been recognized both statewide and nationally with numerous accolades for excellence in destination marketing.  

Prior to TBC, Mark created and developed the sports marketing program at the Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau generating over $10 million annually in direct spending.

Mark currently serves on the U.S. Travel Board of Directors, the Missouri Association of CVB’s Executive Committee and has previously served as the Board President for the Ohio Association of CVB’s, the Executive Board for the Ohio Travel Association and on several Destination International Committees.

Mark holds a MS in Sports Management and a BS in Business Administration and Management from the University of Kentucky. In addition, Mark has attained the Destinations International designation of Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) and the National Association of Sports Commissions Certified Sports Event Executive.

Mark is an avid Ironman triathlete and lives with his wife Beth and two children Mason (18) and Lauren (15).

Ambassador for IFP (International Federation Of Pickleball)

Ambassador for USA Pickleball

President of Pickleball Sports Ltda.

Founder of IBP (Instituto Brasileiro de Pickleball) (Brazilian Institute of Pickleball)

Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems

Graduated: May 2002 |Florida Atlantic University – Boca Raton, FL – USA

- Certified Instructor by IPTPA (International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association)

- Certified Instructor by IFP Academy (International Federation of Players Academy)

- Pickleball Tournament Director

A Biz 417 Women Who Means Business alumni, Julie Swift has been described as “more cowboy than corporate,” as she brings a down-to-earth willingness to see and speak the truth to everything she does.  She has more than thirty years of experience in the foodservice industry, with National responsibilities spanning sales, marketing, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, in corporate executive leadership and Board roles.  She’s known for seeing what needs to be done, helping make it happen, and celebrating successes.