On a daily basis, whether it’s on radio or TV news we hear a story about just how well the national economy is doing and how unemployment continues to drop lower every quarter. But just how well is the economy doing in Southwest Missouri? It’s an area of the country that not only has to compete against larger markets such as Tulsa, Fayetteville and Kansas City but also large multi-national corporations that do business in the area. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro attended this year Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo at the Downstream Casino to get a better understanding of whether local businesses felt the economy is headed in the right direction or not.