• Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. ended its fiscal year with a 14% increase in net income.

• JMark Business Solutions, Altec Solutions Group and Marlin Network were ranked on Inc. Magazine’s 2010 Inc. 5000 list.  The list ranks privately held companies based on three-year percentage revenue growth.

• Construction begins this month on a $1.3 million expansion of Rick’s Automotive.  The project is scheduled to be complete in May of 2011.

• College enrollment is up across Springfield.  Drury University had a record opening day enrollment of 1,633 in the traditional day school. The university’s previous record of 1,615 was set in 2007. OTC set a new record of 14,056 students, up by 9.4% from last fall and Missouri State University’s Springfield campus had 18,870 students on opening day, up 217 students from last fall.

• Manufacturers’ News Incorporated reports that Springfield was one of five Missouri cities with manufacturing employment increases from August 2009 to August 2010.  The media outlet ranked Springfield third with an increase of 147 jobs in the manufacturing sector.

• Greene County has been approved for a $250,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The grant will be utilized for housing infrastructure.

• Drury University is included in The Princeton Review's list of the best colleges in the Midwest. Drury is one of 152 institutions that the education services company recommends in its "Best in the Midwest" section of its website feature, "2011 Best Colleges: Region by Region."

• Springfield Public Schools received a series of awards recently for its openness and accessibility in financial reporting.  The district received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association and the Meritorious Budget Award from the Association of School Business Officials International for the preparation and issuance of the annual budget. These awards recognize the district’s effective use of resources, budget planning and industry leading practices in presenting a clear budget for a public entity.