Florida based author and Founder of the Studer Community Institute, Quint Studer, has served as a mentor for the city of Springfield’s growth and development for The Chamber of Greater Springfield for almost two years.
The Chamber of Greater Springfield President and CEO Mike McDorman received a copy of Studer’s book Building a Vibrant Community. He was so motivated by the content, he went on to distribute multiple copies, establish a committee of stakeholders and invite Studer to visit Springfield.
The Chamber and Studer continue their collaboration to build a vibrant community in Clark County, conversing monthly about moving forward in unprecedented times.
A recent blog post by Studer – Leading in Tough Times (Lessons from a Hurricane) – offers parallels to what a growing community may be facing in the midst of a disaster.
“Hurricane Sally hit Pensacola hard,” Studer wrote. “We are feeling our way through the aftermath right now and will be for a while. I try to look for insights and lessons in every situation. When an unexpected disaster strikes, we get to experience and observe leadership under stress.”
The COVID-19 pandemic was also an unexpected disaster; albeit a worldwide disaster, Springfield and Clark County has also been affected.
“Any community that goes through a hurricane knows that the power might be back on and the water may have receded, but the trauma will impact them long term,” wrote Studer. “In business and in every area of life, trauma upends our usual way of coping. The old methods don’t work anymore. As leaders, we need to be aware of this. For some people, their lives will change forever.”
Studer went on to say that in times like these, small business owners, especially, are deeply affected.
“If there is ever a time to support local businesses, it’s now,” he wrote.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, McDorman says Springfield has continued its forward momentum and that developer interest is at an all-time high.
“Eventually the pandemic will go away, but the momentum will continue,” he says. “It’s going to take every one of us working together in sync to go where we want to go post-pandemic.
“It takes every one of us believing in the vision and working toward that vision together. I think that’s happening in our town right now.”
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