More brick-and-mortar for Republic

Businesses cropping up around town as growth carries on throughout
 
Republic has continued to grow, as their town slogan suggests. The city, which places importance upon expanding their town commercially, has seen the beginning of construction of a few new key sites, including a Blu Current Bank, an Eagle Stop and Echelon Coffee inhabiting the Iron Grain District, and a new building at Convoy of Hope headquarters.
Many of these new developments will bring businesses that had not previously had a footprint in town, such as Blu Current Bank and Echelon Coffee, but a couple businesses have their sights set on expanding their already existing operations in Republic, with a new Eagle Stop and expansion of Convoy of Hope headquarters well underway.
Blu Current by Bair’s
The first of these businesses is Blu Current. The new bank location is going in on U.S. Highway 60, set to inhabit a small building across the parking lot from Bair’s Bar and Grill. The bank is looking to expand into Republic in order to better reach customers outside of the Springfield area, according to project manager Josh Seibert. Seibert said that the building is already well underway, as the foundations are in and the concrete slab has been poured. Considering the small size of the building, Seibert said the building should be done rather quickly, with a planned completion set to arrive in the first quarter of 2026. The bank will feature a square footage of 2,653.
Another Eagle Stop
Also in construction currently is an Eagle Stop gas station and convenience store in the Iron Grain District. Eagle Stop, which is right down the road from another location, is hoping to gain more customers from the nearby U.S. Highway 60, according to Shannon Handwerker, VP of Operations at Magers Management Company, the commercial real estate company that operates Iron Grain District. Handwerker said that the new location will be more often frequented by truckers exiting from the highway, which will help it to compete with the other store located almost within earshot. At more than 5,000 square feet, the new convenience store will also differ in food selection from its nearby sister store, which could help with business even more. Though there is not an exact date that the store is expected to open, Handwerker expects that they will be done before the end of the year.
Echelon Coffee in Iron Grain
Also going into the Iron Grain District, at 2510 S. Highway MM, is Echelon Coffee. Echelon is already an established business in the area, already having a location on the northeast side of Springfield. Echelon serves both coffee and pastries and is inhabiting the southern corner of the shopping center with a square footage of 1,473. The new cafe, which features a drive-through, is expected to open after Labor Day weekend.
Convoy of Hope
Lastly, in new construction is the new Convoy of Hope addition, which is currently being constructed just behind the current headquarters building along James River Freeway. The new building is already showing much progress, having begun construction in May and already having concrete poured and a metal frame raised. The new structure will be a food packaging facility where the nonprofit hopes to produce meals for struggling families, according to Ethan Forhetz, the national spokesperson for Convoy of Hope. The new building is 50,000 square feet and will have automated production lines, said Forhetz. In all, the project is expected to cost around $8 million, and with its help, Forhetz said that Convoy will be producing and distributing 1 billion meals per year by 2030. Though the expected date for completion is unknown, Forhetz estimated that it will be sometime in the second quarter of 2026.