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State of Missouri team members compete in second cycle of the Show Me Challenge, pitch ideas for improved governance

June 26, 2019

JEFFERSON CITY – Today, the State of Missouri announced the winners of the second cycle of the Show Me Challenge. Last Friday, nine teams with members from nine different executive departments competed by presenting their ideas to improve state government to a panel of the state’s senior leaders.

Inspired by the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” the Show Me Challenge brings together state team members from Missouri’s 16 executive departments to pitch solutions that improve services to the citizens of Missouri, cut out unnecessary bureaucratic 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 a written pitch outlining their solutions in detail. In the first two cycles of the Show Me Challenge, senior leaders received more than 100 proposals from over 500 team members from across the state.

Nine teams were invited to participate in the final competition this cycle. They had the opportunity to present their ideas in front of a panel of judges, including department directors and other senior leaders with government and business expertise.

Teams’ ideas ranged from ways to improve citizen service to cutting bureaucratic processes. The quality of the pitches was high. The panel of judges thought all nine teams pitched ideas that deserve to be implemented. 

First place went to Team DOC Leak Busters from the Department of Correction’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC) for a new approach to managing water inside correctional institutions that promises to improve the safety and security of the state’s institutions while saving money and staff time for the department.

Winning team members of Team DOC Leak Busters are the following:

Billy Osborne
Bob Tuttle
Dave Dooley
Jeremy Lynn
Julie Bell
Kelly Krieger
Paul Coleman
Robert Miller
Rone Henson
Steve Reminger​

Team MoPAM from the Department of Social Services won second place for its creative proposal to transform how the department reaches citizens in rural areas by shifting from brick-and-mortar offices, which can be difficult for some to reach, to delivering services via mobile units.

Team Ensure MO Savings from the Department of Social Services (DSS) and Office of Administration took third place for discovering a way to proactively prevent fraud in active benefit cases by interfacing DSS computer systems to share information across agencies.

The judges for the second cycle were State of Missouri Chief Operating Officer Drew Erdmann; Anne Precythe, Director of the Department of Corrections; Anna Hui, Director of the Department of Labor & Industrial Relations; Adam Crumbliss, Chief Division Director of the Department of Health & Senior Services; and Chris Klenklen, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture.

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

“State of Missouri team members have again brought their ‘A’ game to the Show Me Challenge competition,” said Drew Erdmann, State of Missouri Chief Operating Officer. “The Show Me Challenge provides the opportunity for team members to present innovative ideas to improve how we serve the citizens of Missouri. Our colleagues working in the frontlines know firsthand what works and what doesn’t, so they are best positioned to find solutions.”

“Show Me Challenge finalists set the bar high with their impressive solutions to the day-to-day challenges our state team members face,” said Anne Precythe, Director of the Department of Corrections. “It was inspiring to see so many great ideas for improving government from across our state. I’m proud the winning Department of Corrections team went outside the box to propose innovations that are more efficient, improve the safety for our staff, and preserve our precious natural resources.”

“The Show Me Challenge gives the opportunity for all DSS team members to pitch ideas to make us better,” said Jennifer Tidball, Acting Director of the Department of Social Services. “Having two Department of Social Services teams in the top three is a testament to the creativity and commitment of our teammates across the state.”

The Show Me Challenge takes place every six months. The third cycle of the competition will begin in July. Finalist teams will present their pitches to a panel of judges for the third cycle in December 2019 and the winners will be announced before the end-of-year holidays.