State of Missouri holds 2024 Show Me Challenge competition, winning team presents idea to expand operations to maximize print efficiencies

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Today, the State of Missouri announced the winners of the 2024 Show Me Challenge competition. On Monday, nine finalist teams competed in-person before a panel of state government senior leaders to present the best ideas to improve state government.

Inspired by the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” the Show Me Challenge continues to bring together state team members from across Missouri’s 17 executive departments to pitch solutions that improve systems and processes that serve the citizens of Missouri, cut out unnecessary work, and/or save the State time and money.

The Show Me Challenge invited all State of Missouri team members in the executive branch to submit an initial pitch outlining their solutions. Nine teams were then invited to participate in the final competition. They had the opportunity to further develop their pitch, receive coaching, and then present their ideas in front of a panel of judges, including department directors and other senior leaders with government, policy, and business expertise.

The finalist teams represented nine of the 17 executive departments of the Missouri state government and competed in front of a live audience.

First place went to the team Space Rangers from the Office of Administration (OA) for their request to find additional space for their printing and mailing services team (OA Document Solutions) to maximize print efficiencies by acquiring additional equipment. 

Winning team members of Space Rangers are:

Brandon Bailey
Lance Clingman
Erin Coles
Kenneth Cummings
Aaron Dickey
Terry Groner
Bradley Malone
Maddie Meyer 

OA Document Solutions (OADS) held a close partnership with University of Missouri Print and Mail Services (MU) for over 40 years. Throughout this collaboration, MU has consistently delivered print services that surpassed OADS capabilities in terms of size or finishing. On August 2, 2023, MU announced that they would be phasing out MU Print Services over the next calendar year. OADS began brainstorming how to acquire and put to use the MU equipment with capabilities that would expand their services, provide substantial return on investment, and minimally impact services to our State Agency customers. With the new equipment, OADS will be able to increase our efficiencies 200-800% in run time and/or finishing, depending on the project.

"OADS is committed to streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency by consolidating all print equipment into a single, appropriately-equipped facility. This will not only enhance productivity but also provide an opportunity for OADS to meet the printing demands of the state agencies in-house. Furthermore, it allows OADS to have better quality control of production and meeting the customer requested deadlines," said Erin Coles, OA Document Solutions Program Manager, OA. "Our team appreciated the opportunity through the Show Me Challenge to showcase what we have been working on to senior leaders. The process improvements we continue to make will allow us to better serve our State Agencies and citizens of Missouri."

Second place went to Data for All from the Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Department of Revenue (DOR), Department of Economic Development (DED), and OA for their project that would create a curriculum, checklists, and other resources to educate state team members to help increase accessibility of documents published online by the State of Missouri. 

Third place went to Team MoVest (Missouri Vital Empowerment for State Teams) from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), DESE, & OA for their idea to create a virtual learning experience that will provide a unique opportunity for all state team members to grow their professional networks, develop new skills, and enhance their abilities.

A Fourth and Fifth place were also awarded to contestants. Fourth place went to Recovery from MoDOT for their design to help the department recoup money spent repairing MoDOT property by automatically bringing together information from a variety of sources to make it easier to recover outstanding funds. Fifth place went to Hands on Deck from the Department of Social Services (DSS) for seeking to establish in their Children's Division a pool of experienced retired/former employees to be paid on an hourly basis as they step in to cover workforce gaps when an office or facility experience inadequate workforce numbers, extended absence, or crisis situations. 

The judges for this year’s competition were Senator Mike Bernskoetter, Representative Dave Griffith; Anna Hui, Director, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR); Valerie Huhn, Director, DMH; Robert Knodell, Director, DSS; Valarie Moseley, Deputy Director, Department of Corrections (DOC), and Tyler Hobbs, Legislative Director, Governor's Office. 

The judges considered a pitch’s quality, practicality, and potential for impact.

“It is incredibly inspiring to see the creativity and dedication of our public servants, who are committed to making state government more efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of our citizens," said Rep. Dave Griffith. “By empowering employees to share their insights, we ensure that we are delivering the best possible services to the people of our state.”

"The Show Me Challenge is an exciting opportunity for our team members to present their best ideas for improving government. Not only does it empower our workforce to take an active role in driving positive change but fosters a culture of innovation for the services we provide to our customers," said Valerie Huhn, Director, DMH. "The creativity and insight from our team members is one of our greatest assets and I look forward to seeing how their ideas will enhance our operations and make a lasting impact on state government."

“This competition showcases the incredible talent and ingenuity of our frontline state team members, giving them a platform to present ideas that can significantly improve how we operate," said Robert Knodell, Director, DSS. “Through tapping into the creativity of our workforce, we are uncovering innovative solutions that make government more efficient and save valuable time and taxpayer dollars. The Show Me Challenge is a powerful reminder that the best ideas often come from within." 

To date, over 600 team members have pitched ideas to improve production and processes across state government. The 2025 Show Me Challenge competition will begin next spring.

For more on the Show Me Challenge, go here.