Sitting in a second-floor office Oct. 22, 10 months into the job as executive director and CEO of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Rob Marsh said the “tough decisions are now done.”
The difficult choices involved reining in expenses, trimming staff, ending the annual Price Cutter Charity Championship golf tournament, and selling the longtime home of the nonprofit foundation near Highland Springs Country Club.
Marsh left a lengthy career in the highly competitive grocery store business to lead the MSHOF in January, shortly after its financial shortfall was announced in 2024.
At the time, the MSHOF was in debt, the building had been closed to the public due to needed repairs and 47 charities involved in the 2024 Price Cutter Charity Championship had not been paid the $742,409 they were owned, including funds some paid up front to participate in the event.
The longtime leader of the MSHOF had retired, his successor struggled during the pandemic, and Marsh felt compelled to help. He knew the nonprofit, the charities it helped and as the operating officer of Springfield-based Pyramid Foods, which runs Price Cutter Supermarkets, had a history of scrutinizing spending and finding stability amid ever-evolving market changes.
The driving force to volunteer for the job was to get the charities paid in full, a feat achieved this summer.
“If I didn’t, there would have been (nearly) 50 charities spending 2025 without the funds that they needed,” he said.
“I have such a good relationship with our charity partners. I have been to a lot of them and seen firsthand what they do for these children and the thought of over half a million that they were banking on, counting on and needing wasn’t going to happen? I didn’t have a choice.”
Beyond that, he wanted to chart a financially sustainable path forward and get the MSHOF operating in the black.
He said it required him to “dig in” and clean up the accounting, figure out what the nonprofit owed, who owed the nonprofit, and figure out ways to generate revenue through events and private giving.
“The biggest triumph was getting the charities paid for 2024 but I had a rapidly approaching 2025 tournament and obviously the thing that was constantly on my mind was, we cannot have a repeat of 2024 — so how do we put on this tournament and reduce expenses?” he said.
How did the 2025 PCCC tournament go?
Marsh said the goal for the 2025 tournament, likely the last at least for now, was to organize an event that the PGA and community were proud of while also raising funds for local charities.
“As I sit here today, we’ve accomplished that,” he said. “On Nov. 18, it will be our Celebration of Sharing and we will be issuing the funds that charities earn for 2025.”
Asked how much the charities will receive that day, Marsh said they “earned over $400,000.” The overall amount raised was lower than in the past, largely because there were fewer charities involved.
“The charities that I have spoken to and told them what the payout is going to be, they seemed very pleased,” he said.
Why end the PCCC tournament after 2025?
The golf tournament, started in 1990, has raised more than $19.4 million for children’s charities throughout the Ozarks. The PCCC is a PGA Tour golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour.
In recent years, the PCCC has been held in July.
“They made the phone call wanting to change the date and I knew right then there was going to be an issue with the golf course due to how many longstanding events they have in June,” he said. “Initially, it was an ‘oh my gosh’ moment.”
There were a flurry of phone calls and difficult discussions with his staff.
“Then, 24 hours later, I was over it in terms of there was no reason that we can’t continue on because the events that surrounded the tournament is what made the money for the charities,” he said. “The four days (of the PCCC) produced nothing in terms of charity payout.”
In weighing options, Marsh also looked at the “business side” of putting on the annual event.
“If I don’t have the tournament, I don’t have $800,000 worth of hard expenses,” Marsh said. He said if done correctly, putting on the fundraising events without the tournament means the “charities will make more money.”
He put a new plan together, talked to the leadership at Hiland Dairy and Price Cutter — both supporters of the annual event — and explained his vision. “They loved it and they signed back up and we’re moving forward.”
Marsh said the MSHOF will continue fundraising events that were successful and will likely add more.
“The sweepstakes that we do for the truck, the charities get 100% of every ticket that they sell. That generates well over six figures … We’re bringing that back,” he said. “The Corvette giveaway that generates money for the charities, we are bringing that back.”
Why sell the MSHOF building?
Founded in 1994 by Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons, the MSHOF has been housed in a 32,000-square-foot building near the Highland Springs Country Club.
It is home to more than 4,000 items of sports memorabilia from both amateur and professional athletes. A Legends Walk of Fame features bronze busts of notable figures in Missouri sports.
Marsh said the MSHOF is more than the “bricks and mortar” building.
“It is all the blood, sweat, tears that these players did to get into the Hall of Fame. These are people that raise the bar for all of us. They grinded it out, made tough decisions, sacrificed things in their life to achieve the greatness that they achieved,” he said. “When I look at the Hall of Fame, I want to make sure that I represent all of them.”
For the past four years, the MSHOF has been largely closed to the public due to needed repairs. Talk about selling the building swirled in late 2024.
Marsh has repeatedly said his intention was to fix, not sell, the building but the list of issues kept growing. There were mechanical, structural and other concerns.
“Obviously, the price tag to bring it back to a level that you would want it at way exceeded the budget,” he said.
In the 10 months Marsh has been on the job, he said potential buyers have expressed interest. For the majority, they were interested in buying the property and serving as a landlord.
Marsh said Jim Hagale, the former president and chief operating officer of Bass Pros Shops and current owner of the Hagale Family Arabians, was different.
“He was looking for space for offices and Mr. Hagale was willing to take on what was wrong and make the necessary repairs,” he said.
Marsh said ongoing discussions at the Missouri Department of Transportation about changing how motorists on U.S. 60 enter and exit the property may have added an obstacle for potential visitors.
“It was a fear of mine. If that happens, it cuts off accessibility to the Hall of Fame, which is not good,” he said. “But if the building is offices, you don’t really have that concern.”
Marsh said the sale to Hagale made sense. The price has not been disclosed.
Why move the MSHOF into Springfield?
In the coming weeks, the MSHOF will move its headquarters to a temporary location on Walnut Street, next to Springfield Brewing Company.
Part of the space at 431 and 433 W. Walnut St. will be offices and the rest will be to display memorabilia, which will be available for the public to view at no cost by the end of 2025.
The rest of the memorabilia will be in storage. However, the bronze busts located on the Legends Walk of Fame will remain at the original building until a permanent site is found.
The future facility must provide expanded exhibit space, modern amenities, as well as capacity to host special events, educational initiatives, and community engagement.
“I am really anxious to get into Springfield with that mindset of looking for a home,” he said. “I’ve also had some interesting people in the last couple days reach out.”
Marsh said funds set aside from the sale may be enough to acquire and renovate an existing building into the new home for MSHOF but, if needed, a capital campaign will be launched.
“I would rather move into an existing building because…I could be in a lot sooner and the cost of new construction is still elevated,”he said. “Frankly, if we’ve got an empty building sitting in Springfield, it benefits a lot of people to retrofit and get in sooner.”
He said the MSHOF is dedicated to operating frugally, noting he purchased $600 worth of office furniture for the temporary location off Facebook marketplace.
Marsh said he expects to be in the temporary location for a year and maybe longer but with the hope of moving into a permanent spot in 2027.
“I am not going to rush into a decision and go into the wrong location,” he said.
What is MSHOF’s financial condition now?
The MSHOF has been adding events but is operating with fewer staff then before Marsh stepped in. There have been lean times when Marsh reduced his own compensation to make payroll.
He has been working to pay off debt and collect money owed to the MSHOF.
“It’s a lot of negotiation, a lot of going out and talking to supporters, sponsors, and meetings — nonstop meetings with them — and tightening the belt here at the Hall of Fame to operate in a very fiscal, basic way,” he said. “But the Hall of Fame will be completely debt-free by the end of 2025.”
Marsh, 53, a married father of two, said he is committed to making sure the MSHOF can navigate through these big changes and achieve lasting stability.
He said there have been a lot of sleepless nights but they are less common now.
Marsh, who is still making regular trips to the Mayo Clinic to treat leukemia he was diagnosed with during the pandemic, said his priority is taking care of people.
He has worked to protect his small team of staffers, which started with being transparent about what was happening and the choices that needed to be made.
“They’ve seen three leadership changes. Every leader has a different vision. I knew in 2025 there would have to be a lot of rough decisions made that probably were not very popular but to ensure the future of the Hall of Fame, I’m the one that had to make them and I own them,” he said.
“They have stuck by me. They have had so much passion for the Hall of Fame and want to see it succeed and they have been part of this roller coaster ride.”
Marsh said sharing the ups and downs of the journey with the staff, charities, sponsors and community partners has been the responsible choice.
“There is nothing that I know or that I’m working on that my team doesn’t know,” he said. “I would do anything in the world for them.”