Get to Know Jonas Arjes

Jonas Arjes had built a life in Branson. From the time his family moved there when he was five, Arjes left only to attend college, then returned to raise his own family and build his career. Making a move, whether professional or personal, had not been a consideration.

Change has funny ways of finding us sometimes, though.

“A mentor of mine encouraged me to look at an opportunity in a neighboring state. I wasn’t looking, but I checked it out anyway. A full relocation for my family wasn’t in the cards, though. Moving out of state wasn’t realistic,” Arjes (pronounced R-Jess) says.

At that same time, Arjes was working with Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Dean Thompson on a project.

“He was sharing his strategy at the Chamber and said, ‘If you’re interested, you should look at this [Senior VP of Economic Development] position.’ Again, I wasn’t looking for anything different. I was happy at the Branson Chamber, but I decided ‘why not.’ Well, be careful what you wish for,” Arjes laughs.

Having worked alongside businesses in Springfield for years, Arjes already had a familiarity with the opportunities in the area.

“I have the utmost respect for this team. I’ve been involved with assorted activities and public policy committees, and had a lot of relationships with staff and businesses in Springfield. The familiarity was there, and with the opportunities Springfield has, it’s exciting to see what’s on the horizon. Selfishly, professionally, the opportunity to work in a more diverse and traditional market is exciting,” he says.

While Arjes knew the area and the people, there were still a few adjustments between positions to be made.

‘From the economic development side, we’re twice as big. In Branson, we were a team of three. Here, we’re a team of six, and we still have one seat left to fill.”

While Arjes made the choice to move professionally, he and his family opted not to relocate. Since Arjes’s wife teaches in Branson, and with two of their three children still in that school system, the family continues to live in Walnut Shade. Arjes appreciates the commute, though, saying that it has proven to provide the perfect amount of time both ways: to gather his thoughts on his way to work, and to decompress on his way home.

Looking ahead, Arjes’s first goal in the job is to get acclimated with the team, and to be a good team member.

“I want our economic development team to be the best in the state, so I’ll work on that. I’ve always been taught and believed that in the pursuit of excellence, you can achieve greatness.”