Karen Craigo
Karen Craigo is a business reporter for the Springfield Business Journal, covering how public decisions, development projects and local enterprises shape the regional economy. She has held the business beat at the masthead since 2021, bringing a consistent focus on city hall, construction and community organizations to her coverage. Her work blends detailed, data‑driven news stories with accessible features on entrepreneurs and civic initiatives, giving readers a clear view of the forces that move commerce at street level.
From The Ground Up
A recurring thread in Craigo's work is close tracking of significant construction and redevelopment projects through the From The Ground Up series. She profiles developments such as the Broadway Cottage Courtyard pocket neighborhood, a six‑story Silver Dollar City resort and a new Paul Mueller Co. production facility, detailing location, scale, timelines and the organizations driving each project.
Her reporting presents these sites as business stories, explaining how new housing concepts, tourism assets and manufacturing capacity fit into the region's broader economic growth.
City looks to streamline development of its property
Craigo frequently follows city government’s role in business and development, grounding stories in specific numbers and policy choices. In coverage of efforts to streamline development on city‑owned land, she reports how many parcels the city holds, how many are vacant and how few are shovel‑ready for residential infill, tying those figures to housing and investment prospects. Her reporting on budget decisions, including the addition of an engineer position in the city manager’s office and the overall size of the municipal budget, shows how staffing and infrastructure priorities are framed for developers and neighborhoods.
She also covers marquee civic moments, such as the State of the City address, focusing on calls for residents and organizations to share the city's stories as part of economic positioning.
US, Iceland ambassadors talk commerce
Another strand of her beat is the business community’s events and external relationships. Craigo reports from chamber gatherings where ambassadors discuss international commerce and local opportunities, capturing how global trade themes are interpreted through regional brands and ambitions.
She covers conferences that examine issues like water resource reallocation at Stockton Lake, explaining the economic implications for utilities, agriculture and surrounding communities. Her work in this area keeps attention on how business leaders and public officials frame future risks and opportunities when they convene.
State Treasurer promotes MO ABLE accounts
Craigo extends her coverage to financial tools and programs that affect households and business owners, with attention to accessibility and regulation. When reporting on MO ABLE savings accounts for people with disabilities, she explains how the accounts allow participants to build savings without jeopardizing public benefits, emphasizing rules that matter for long‑term planning. Her pieces on company expansions, such as Pro Electric’s new regional office following its acquisition, trace both corporate milestones and the physical footprint of new facilities.
She also reports on neighborhood restaurants like Skully’s, documenting closures and potential new ventures in the same location, which shows how changes in small businesses reshape commercial corridors.
Business is personal
Alongside straight news, Craigo writes narrative features that treat business as a personal and community story. Her profile of a frozen custard company leader, for example, explores how relationships and individual values drive decisions in a competitive food‑service market. In pieces about projects like Birthplace Plaza on historic Route 66 and the Broadway Cottage Courtyard pocket neighborhood, she highlights how civic pride and neighborhood identity intersect with tourism and housing investment.
Across formats, her reporting style favors clear structure, extensive sourcing and practical detail that help readers see how policies, projects and personalities interact on the ground.
4 more business journalists.
Aaron Karp
Aaron Karp is distinct for connecting airline networks, airport infrastructure, air cargo and policy. He is a senior editor at Air Transport World and has covered aviation since 1999. He has also worked as an editor for cargo-focused and daily aviation publications. His real beat is how airlines and airports respond to growth, regulation, trade conditions, sustainability pressures and technology changes. He covers route planning, network development, airport capacity, infrastructure, cargo flows, trade lanes, safety, air traffic control and future technology. He reports through news, features, opinion pieces, briefings and podcasts. He uses data, executive insight and industry conference reporting to explain market changes. His work links cargo metrics and trade policy to carrier strategy, and connects infrastructure and sustainability decisions to resilience, costs and long-term growth.
Adrienne Roberts
Adrienne Roberts is a business journalist at the Detroit Free Press who covers how policy, regulation and corporate decisions affect Michigan’s cannabis market, jobs, universities and health systems. She has a sustained focus on cannabis taxes, licensing, sales, product rules, consumer safety and local tax revenue. She also reports on unemployment, worker protections, corporate settlements, hiring, higher education, student safety, housing, data centers, health care access and economic forecasts. Roberts joined the Detroit Free Press in 2020 after covering automotive retail, dealers and labor issues for The Wall Street Journal. She explains complex business and regulatory changes with data, legal detail and on-the-ground voices. Her stories focus on practical effects for workers, students, consumers and communities, showing both the numbers and the people behind them.
Alex Bronzini-Vender
Alex Bronzini-Vender is a business reporter who focuses on how economic forces and corporate decisions shape specific communities and industries. He covers business for the Washington Monthly, writing reported pieces at the intersection of commerce and public life. His work reflects the magazine’s emphasis on linking markets and money to power, policy, and everyday experience. He treats business not as balance sheets and deals but as choices that affect local realities. In “Fear and Loathing in Palo Alto,” he uses a city tied to the tech sector to examine how a powerful industry influences a community. He grounds his business beat in on-the-ground consequences rather than treating corporate and financial developments in isolation.
Alex DeMarban
Alex DeMarban stands out for tracking major energy projects over time while showing how economic shifts affect local businesses. He reports for the Anchorage Daily News on business, oil and gas, and general assignments. His coverage focuses on Alaska LNG, long-haul energy projects, mining, ports, transportation infrastructure, and the everyday businesses that keep the state running. He examines financing, tax legislation, labor agreements, regulatory approvals, timelines and costs, and connects government and corporate decisions to workers, communities and consumers. He also reports on restaurant closures, grocery stores, breweries, meaderies, parking and trade disputes. His past coverage includes an open-pit mine near the proposed Ambler road, federal port grants and competitive elections. He reports through dollar figures, project details, public records, business owners and affected workers, showing how policy and resource development play out on the ground.