Game Changers in Springfield’s Development
If you have walked through downtown Springfield recently, you most likely witnessed restaurants filled with happy customers, people and their smiling faces shopping in small businesses, and a sense of community that you may not have felt in quite some time. This revitalization that you witness didn’t just come by happenstance, there were many key players behind the work of downtown Springfield, and one in particular who is known and loved by many in the area.
David Loveall, owner of Masaka Properties, recently received an award from the Register Guard’s Innovation and Talent Celebration. The “Game Changer” award, in which David was presented, reflects not only the outright hard work that he put in, but the heart and soul that you can feel as you walk through the revitalized Downtown area in Springfield. David, who began his working life at a local Springfield camera store, has now transformed into a community centric, retail and housing developer. David’s story, although incredibly unique, also possesses many similarities to other developers that we had the pleasure of hearing at the Meet the Developers series presented by the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Among these incredible speakers, including Len Blackstone, Nancie Koerber, David Loveall, and Tina Patel, all of them seemed to grant their success to 3 similar characteristics.
The first of these key characteristics is the ability to adapt. Many of us know that in order to have a successful business or be successful yourself, you must be able to adapt. In the everchanging world that we live in today, from unpredictable economic trends, to constant evolving technology, it is crucial that you are able to continuously adapt your business model to fit within the current needs of your environment. The developers that spoke at the Meet the Developers program showed remarkable ability to adapt and be flexible.
The second is to have vision. From hotels and inns, to store fronts and apartments, all of these developers walked into a space that most would consider a liability but were able to envision something great. They are masterful in realizing a vision, and inspire in others how their vision can become the next community jewel, embraced by many.
The last, and arguably most important of the characteristics discussed between all four developers in our series, and one that David Loveall himself reiterates time and time again, is the need to have “skin in the game.” When glancing at the infrastructure that these developers were able to build/renovate, we often do not know the time and effort that go into making them a success. Although it is within the past four years, downtown Springfield has transformed, Loveall’s first investment was some thirteen years ago. To spend years and years working tirelessly towards a vision that may not see instantaneous results, is what it means to have skin in the game, something that all of the developers we had the pleasure of hearing from, and many more like them, have in common.
There is a momentum in Springfield that is undeniable, and it is with people like David that will continue that momentum with force. One of the nuggets of wisdom that David provided that I believe we could all benefit from implementing into our day to day lives, is the notion of “remembering to not only care about yourself, but also your neighbor.” If we continue to invest into our community and care about not only our own goals, but also those of our neighbors, good things will continue to come to Springfield, and the magic we feel when walking through downtown will only continue to grow.
