Chamber Roundtable Highlights Business Leaders Expanding Operations

As businesses grow through opening new locations and increasing capacity, there are significant operational and strategic factors that owners must account for across the expansion process. The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce explored this topic at the recent Chamber Roundtable, Breaking Ground: Considerations From Businesses Expanding Locally.

Sponsored by Travel Lane County, the program centered on how local small business leaders have navigated expansion projects. The featured speakers, Colby Phillips and Tim Woolley, shared insight into their personal experiences with business growth ventures.

Phillips is the owner of PublicHouse in Springfield and Beergarden in Eugene, two community gathering spaces built around food vendors, craft beer, and a distinctly local atmosphere. Woolley is President and founder of IEQ Technology, a managed services provider and custom software development firm in Springfield.

Operating Businesses Locally
In an industry where remote work and relocating workers is common, Woolley brings a unique perspective to business growth in the technology sector through his hiring philosophy. IEQ Technology prioritizes in-person operations and only hires from within the community.

To accommodate for operational and workforce growth in recent years, due in part to IEQ Technology expanding to offer managed services, Woolley is opening a new office location in Springfield. This will allow the team to meet the demand of expanded operations and return to pre-pandemic, fully in-person work, which Woolley emphasized is important for fostering collaboration and interpersonal connections. While hiring strictly from the community limits the IEQ Technology hiring pool, Woolley noted that local partnerships, such as with Lane Community College, help the company connect with candidates in the area.

For Phillips, business location and maintaining local operations are a priority across his hospitality ventures. He is passionate about developing gathering spaces that support the local community and highlight cultural characteristics of the area.

As an example, Phillips established PublicHouse in a historic former church. He recognized it as an opportunity to bring the community together in a unique space with long-standing significance to the local area. Phillips is continuing to identify business opportunities that center on the local environment, such as through a Downtown Riverfront project in collaboration with the City of Eugene. While this potential project is still in the pre-venture stage, it highlights the community-centered business growth that Phillips pursues.

“[The Downtown Riverfront project] would be great for the community. It’s the type of thing that could stand the test of time for the next generations. Bringing people together from a local level, but also bringing people from outside of here.”

– Colby Phillips, Owner, PublicHouse and Beergarden

Adapting to Current Industry Trends
Woolley’s business expansion decisions have been shaped by trends in local demand and the technology industry. While IEQ Technology began as a software development service provider, the company now also provides managed services. Woolley explained that this growth was due to strong community demand for IT support, as it provided a strategic opportunity for IEQ Technology to expand their offerings.

As the technology industry has shifted with the rise of AI, Woolley noted that his business has utilized new advancements to further business efficiency and growth. Implementing AI use has allowed Woolley’s team to serve clients in a more timely manner and expand operational capabilities.

Phillips has centered his business ventures on trends in the hospitality industry, including through technological development. He highlighted that there is a strong demand for third spaces, which provide gathering areas for community members to connect, as well as for food cart pods. This encouraged Phillips to develop PublicHouse and Beergarden, both of which feature food vendors and offer customers with a space to gather at.

Outside of creating community spaces, Phillips has also expanded his business through the development of an software company. He recognized the need for an online ordering system to align with technological advancements and co-founded an app to meet that demand.

Developing a Reliable Team
Both speakers emphasized the importance of creating a strong management team to support business growth. A key challenge that Woolley identified in expanding IEQ Technology is letting go of responsibilities through task distribution. However, he recognized that creating a reliable team has helped alleviate concerns during this growth period.

“In the beginning, I was doing a lot of programming. I hired a programmer so I could move on to managing projects. I hired a project manager, and then I hired a [chief technology officer]. So, it’s just a natural progression. The business grows, so you have to be willing to grow with it and to let things go.”

– Tim Woolley, President and Founder, IEQ Technology

As Phillips has developed additional business ventures, he has learned the value of promoting from within and word-of-mouth to create a reliable team and meet workforce growth needs. Phillips explained that promoting employees to managerial positions allows him to see how workers operate in-action and fill openings with individuals who have demonstrated their potential. Phillips also utilizes word-of-mouth to hire new employees, as this helps him identify candidates who have a strong track record and care about the business.

Financing Expansion
Both Woolley and Phillips recognized financing as a key determinant of their expansion projects, and their contrasting methods of funding ventures highlights the varying ways businesses can support growth. Woolley noted that IEQ Technology’s expansion of services and office locations was funded through company revenue, rather than outside sources. In comparison, Phillips has collaborated with business partners and investors to fund development projects.

Thank you to our sponsors and supporters!
The Springfield Chamber would like to thank Tim Woolley of IEQ Technology and Colby Phillips of PublicHouse and Beergarden for their insights. Additionally, thank you to Travel Lane County, our presenting sponsor, and our Impact Investors for supporting Chamber Roundtable and Roundtable + Tour programs, year-round. Want to stay in the loop on business advocacy? Keep an eye out for Chamber communications and upcoming Roundtables.

More About the Springfield Chamber’s Business Advocacy Efforts
As a trusted convener and provider of business resources, the Springfield Chamber is committed to fostering policies and incentives that contribute to our competitive position in private sector job creation, retention, and economic growth. The Chamber recognizes the systemic interdependencies of a healthy economy and provides an ear and a voice for local business at the confluence of government, commerce, and community. Through a robust platform of member advocacy services, the Chamber advocates for business by increasing visibility, dialogue, and representation at local, state, and federal policy circles around issues of impact and interest to their members.