Community Profile
Mountain Grove, Missouri
Our Town is Your Town


Quality of Life

Schools
"A+" District:................................ Mountain Grove R-III
% Certified Staff......................... 97.6
Student/Teacher Ratio............. 13.0
Graduation Rate........................ 71.1
Average ACT.............................. 20.5

Wright County Technical Training Institutions
Ozark Mountain Technical Center-Mountain Grove
Ozark Action-Mountain Grove
Ozark Technical Community College-Springfield
Higher Education
Missouri State University-Mountain Grove, Missouri
University of Missouri-Rolla
Southwest Baptist University-Bolivar
Drury University-Springfield
Evangel University-Springfield
Springfield College-Springfield

Health Care
Outpatient Clinics............................... 5
Medical Doctors.................................. 9
Dentists................................................ 8
Orthodontists....................................... 1
Chiropractors...................................... 4
Registered Nurses............................ 6
Practical Nurses................................ 12
Veterinarians...................................... 4
Residential Care/Senior Centers... 4

Population
                                    1960          1970         1980         1990          2000
Mountain Grove....... 3,176....... 3,377....... 3,974....... 4,183....... 4,574
Wright County.......... 13,667..... 14,183..... 16,188.... 16,758..... 17,955

Climate
Average Seasonal Temperature Fall..... 57
Winter .......................................................... 34
Spring........................................................... 55
Summer....................................................... 76

Average Yearly Rain.................................. 44 inches
Average Yearly Snow................................ 17 inches
Average Humidity....................................... 69
Prevailing Winds Northwest

Recreation
(Within 30 minutes)
18-Hole Golf Courses......................................... 4
9-Hole Golf Courses............................................ 6
Indoor/Outdoor Soccer Fields............................ 19
Indoor/Outdoor Skating Rinks............................ 5
Tennis Courts........................................................ 25
Baseball/Softball Fields...................................... 40
Biking/Walking Trails........................................... 9
Swimming Pools.................................................. 9
Health Clubs......................................................... 12
Parks...................................................................... 26
Camp Grounds.................................................... 20
Lake/Rivers Lake of the Ozarks (60 minutes)
Bull Shoals Lake (65 minutes)
Table Rock Lake (65 minutes)
Indoor/Outdoor Theater...................................... 4
Antique Malls........................................................ 12
Shopping Malls.................................................... 1

Work Force
                                             1990               2000               2005
Population......................... 16,788.......... 17,955........... 20,417
Labor Force......................... 6,999.......... 7,836.............. 9,335
Commuting Workers............................ 72.7%
Commuting Outside of County........... 35.4%
Median Household Income................. $22,330

What others are saying about Mountain Grove Workers
We moved from St. Louis ten years ago because we could no longer compete with the Far East. The company is 117 years old and we would no longer be in business today had we not moved."
Pete Fischar, President, Bechler Corporation

"We have found that the workers in Mountain Grove are hard working and dependable. They are also willing to learn which is a huge benefit to our company."
Dustin Roberts , Branch Managers, Air Gas Mid-America

Business Climate
Taxes
Type................................ Mountain Grove
Sales.............................. 7.2225%

Utilities
Electric Provider Area Served Capacity(kw) Peak Demand(kw)
SeMaNO Electric Coop Wright County 10,000 4,000
Intercounty Electric Coop Mountain Grove 22,500 12,200

Water
City of Mountain Grove
Provider Capacity(Gal/Day).......... 2,100,000
Peak Demand(Gal/Day)............... 840,000
Storage(Gal)................................... 1,600,000

Sewer
City of Mountain Grove
Provider Capacity(Gal/Day).......... 1,000,000
Peak Demand(Gal/Day)............... 800,000

Natural Gas
Southern Missouri Gas Company-Privately owned natural gas supplier with more than 9,000 customers in Wright and surrounding counties. Transportation is available

Telecommunications
Century Tel-Southern Missouri:
Services include local telephone, Internet access, long distance, and high-speed data service including dedicated fiber and DSL

GetGoin:
Wright and surrounding counties: Services Include: Fixes wireless broadband, satellite and broadband, dedicated fiber DSL, web-hosting, LAN & WAN networking

Major Employers
Wal-Mart Super Center............................ 240
R-III Schools............................................ 280
Autumn Oaks Caring Center...................... 80
Beehier Steel Products............................... 38
First Home Savings Bank........................... 60
Town & Country Supermarket................... 64
Richards Brothers...................................... 55
AirGas Mid America.................................. 21
Southern Missouri Natural Gas................... 32
City of Mountain Grove.............................. 70
Wehr Motors..............................................70
Stable Living.............................................. 15
Boreflex..................................................... 45

Business Climate
Taxes
Type.................................. Mountain Grove
Sales................................ 7.2225%

Transportation
Air
Mountain Grove Airport, General Aviation Airport airport, 3,590 ft. runway
Springfield Branson Regional Airport, Commercial airport, 8,000 ft. runway

Rail
Burlington Northern and Sante Fe Railway
Line 1001
Public Rail spurs-Mountain Grove
Nearest Intermodel Service-St. Louis (180 miles)

Waterway
Missouri River, 120 miles north on Missouri Highway 5

Ground
Highway Miles of Access Connection To
US 60 24 East-US 44, Springfield
West Sikeston, Paducah KY
Missouri 5 35 North-US 44, US 70, Des Moines IA
South-US 40, Little Rock AR
Missouri 38 28 East-US 44 Marshfield
West-Houston, MO
Missouri 95 33 North-US 44 Lebanon
South-Gainesville

Motor Carriers
Mountain Grove Express-Mountain Grove, MO
A & E Transport, Inc; Mountain Grove, MO
Hirschback Motor Lines, Mountain Grove, MO

Public Transportation
OATS, Inc. A private, not-for-profit company providing transportation to rural communities and 87 Missouri Counties

Incentives
Wright County, Missouri offers a pro-business environment through low taxes, good schools and training programs, and active private lending institutions. The Wright County Industrial Development Authority can help seek and administer a awide array of financial incentives for your business.

Revolving Loan Funds
The Wright County Industrial Development Authority receives revenues from a landfill fee passed in 1991. This source of funding can be quickly applied to industrial and commercial projects within the county that create full-time, permanent employment.

The South Central Ozark Regional Development Company Revolving Loan Fund is public investment tool capitalized from EDA funds in 1986. It allows for $10,000 of funds per on full-time job created with a 10% private equity investment.

Se-Me-No Electric Cooperative began a revolving loan fund in 1995 to assist the developing rural areas. Funds require at least 51% of jobs created with funds will benefit low/moderate income residents. Funding is available up to $100,000.

Intercounty Electric Cooperative also has a revolving loan fund for its service area. Funding is available for up to 50% of the total project cost. Loan proceeds can be used for a variety of capital expenses.

Rural Missouri, Inc is a not-profit corporation provides financing to businesses for land, building, equipment, inventory and working capital. RMI's loan programs include the SBA, 504, Intermediary Relending, and Microloan programs. Employment and training assistance is also available for economically disadvantaged migrant and seasonal farm workers.

Industrial Revenue Bonds
The Wright County Industrial Development Authority has "Chapter 100" industrial revenue bonding capacity. These tax-exempt bonds can be used to help finance for fixed assets. The bonds may also abate/exempt real and personal property taxes.

Workforce Development Programs
The state of Missouri provides financial assistance in the form of sever job-training programs for eligible empoyers.

Customized Training Program - This training assistance program is for employers who are creating new jobs or retraining workers through both on-the-job and classroom training.

Missouri Community College New Jobs Training Program- It provides assistance to companies creating a substantial number of new jobs through local community colleges and the sale of certificates.

Missouri Skills Development Tax Credit Program-This income tax credit reimburses businesses for upgrading the occupational skills of "low-income" employees through educational programs and classroom training.

State Programs
Action Loan Funds - These Community Development Block Grant loans provide gap financing for qualified industrial projects unable to obtain adequate funding. Funds may be used for land, buildings, construction, or renovation. Loans cover up to 30 percent of the cost of a project at the rate of $30,000 per job created or $400,000 per project, whichever is less.

Neighborhood Assistance Program- This program helps local development projects receive private incomes. Donors to such projects receive a 70% State tax credit as well as Federal tax deduction. The program redirects taxes paid to Jefferson City and Washington towards local improvements.

Business Facility Tax Credit Program- This income tax mechanism is eligible for projects that have crated two new jobs and $100,000 new investment. For each new job created, it allows for $75 tax credit ($125 within distressed communities) for a new Missouri company and $100 ($150 within distressed communities) for an existing Missouri company for 10 years. Based on income and unemployment. Many of Wright County's communities are designated as "distressed communities".

CDBG Loan Guarantee- New or expanding business in a block grant-eligible community that retains or creates jobs for low-and moderate-income workers may receive a 90 percent loan guarantee on funds obrained fom a private lender. The maximum is $400,000 or $20,000 per job created, whichever is less.

Federal Programs
Small Business Administration - This federal program has provided short and long-term financing for thousands of business startups and expansions. It provides financial assistance through its participating lenders in the form of a loan guarantee. It offers the 504 Loan Program, 7(s) Loan and Microloan program.

United States Department of Agriculture- Through their Rural Development program, the USDA can provide direct and guaranteed loans with their Business & Industry loans. They also provide grants for development projects in rural areas through their Rural Businesses Enterprise Grants and Rural Business Opportunity Grants.

Economic Development Administration- This Department of Commerce agency provides funding for several development related activites in the form of grants and loan guarantees.

Industrial Sites
Mountain Grove Industrial Park
Administrated by the Mountain Grove Industrial Development Corporation, this 27 acre park is in the southwest corner of Mountain Grove. There is water, sewer, curbed streets that join the property. There is also approximately 300 feet of railroad frontage and a 4-lane highway (US 60) 3 miles away. Fiber optic, three-phased electricity, and Alltel Communications cellular tower, sewer and water lines are all located within the park. Current tenants include: Boreflex, Integrated Components Building Systems, Stable Living Conversions, Beehler Corporation, and Airgas Mid-America.