Joplin businessman Toby Teeter receives spotlight in State of the State message

During his final State of the State message, Gov. Jay Nixon turned the spotlight on Joplin businessman Toby Teeter. That portion of the message is printed below:

But the economic growth we’ve seen isn’t just in Kansas City and St. Louis, it’s in Sedalia and Springfield, St. Joe and Joplin.

Joplin…where the population is greater today than it was before the tornado in 2011, and where the economy is going strong.

With faith and courage, the people of Joplin rebuilt their community from the ground up – planting trees and painting murals; rebuilding homes and hospitals, schools and churches, playgrounds and businesses.

One of those new businesses belongs to Toby Teeter, an entrepreneur I met at Joplin’s Newman Innovation Center. About a year ago, Toby started a tech company called LocalRaces.com. It builds websites that communities and charities can use to organize running events, from 5ks to marathons.

Toby’s biggest challenge was finding the funds he needed to get his concept up and running. Our Missouri Technology Corporation provided $100,000 in seed capital that Toby was able to match with private investments. Today, Local Races dot com is growing, and hiring – creating high-tech jobs in the heart of Joplin.

Please join me in recognizing Toby, his wife Ashleigh, and all the entrepreneurs who are helping to make Missouri a hub of technology and innovation.