• Kraft Foods plans to add 50 jobs and expand production over the next six to nine months, including an investment of $9 million of capital into two new manufacturing lines. Wages for the 50 new jobs created will be above the county average and include a comprehensive benefits package.

• Online travel company Expedia, Inc. has signed a lease to occupy the former terminal building at the Springfield-Branson National Airport. The company will begin to occupy the building beginning in fall 2010 after renovating the northern portion of the facility.

• In conjunction with National Small Business Week, two Springfield firms received notification of awards.    The Entrepreneur of the Year in Missouri is Incredible Pizza Company.  The Small Business of the Year is Ozark Prosthetics.

• A recent study shows that chamber member businesses, on average, have higher credit scores and pay their bills faster than other businesses. The study was produced by Cortera, a community-driven business credit bureau, on behalf of American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

• Jack Henry & Associates reported increases in revenue, gross profit and net income in the quarter that ended December 31.  Revenue was up 11%, gross profit was up 15% and net income was up 7%.

• O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. posted 2.4% growth in same store sales in 2009.

• Restructuring at Miracle Recreation’s parent company will create 125 jobs in Monett.

• Springfield has officially tossed its hat into the ring as a candidate for Google's "Think Big With A Gig" ultra high-speed fiber optic network. Google is seeking a mid-sized city for a fiber optic network pilot project with speeds up to 100 times faster than current networks.