Alex Roman on Leading with Experience and Heart

Being able to run her own business, starting into commercial interiors in a smaller market and being able to work with her family are just a few of the reasons that led Alex Roman to jump in with both feet as CEO/president of Scott Rice Springfield LLC. “When this opportunity came up, one of the selling points was the idea of being able to work with (my parents),” she says. 

Her mother, Vicki Palmer, spent 26 years working for Coca-Cola, she says, and she describes her dad, John Palmer, as a “lifelong entrepreneur.” 

“This was a beautiful way of being able to branch not only into entrepreneurship, but being able to do it with the two of them.”

Although Scott Rice, a Steelcase office furniture dealer, has been in Springfield for about 9 years, the 60/40 partnership between The Palmer Group LLC and Scott Rice Color Art started in January of 2022, which is when Roman took on the role. Scott Rice Springfield has furniture for everywhere from office buildings to schools and hospitals. They also have the availability to do temporary walls, flooring projects, signage, artwork and sound masking. “The beauty of being in the commercial interiors industry is that there’s so many things that we do, and can do,” Roman says.

Roman didn’t start out in commercial interiors, but she found that her experience as a project manager and as head of guest experience in the casino industry was helpful in reverse-role training her for her position at Scott Rice Springfield. The Palmer Group, and her parents, are based out of Atlanta, but Missouri has always had a special place in Roman’s heart. Roman works remotely from Atlanta, but also has a home in Springfield. “My dad is from Kansas City, so I have been going to Missouri my whole life,” she says. “I also really liked the idea of getting into this industry from a smaller market.”