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In July, Governor Mike Parson visited Springfield for the fifth consecutive year to keynote the State of the State event. He shared his outlook for the State of Missouri including highlighting historic investments, statewide successes, and his vision for the future of our state.

On May 4, Cabinet Concepts by Design received the 2022 W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award. They were among a field of five amazing finalists recognized at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center.

At our biggest event of the year, held this year in March instead of the traditional January, we celebrated teamwork and working together to build something better.  We also looked towards the future and how to build upon principles and values that are engrained within our community. The evening culminated with Joe Turner being presented the 2022 Springfieldian Award.

Each year, the ATHENA Award is all about celebrating, inspiring and advocating for women leaders and the contributions they make to our community. In 2022, the ATHENA Award went to Crista Hogan, while the recipient of the Virginia Fry Rising Star Award was Rachel Anderson.

The Chamber's economic development arm, the Springfield Business Development Corporation (SBDC) held its Annual Meeting March 3 at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center. In addition to hearing about efforts in job growth and placemaking, the nearly 450 in attendance heard from keynote speaker Joseph Fuller about the "hidden worker" and how businesses can update their approach to reach more people.

The 2021 Manufacturing Outlook featured a panel of local industry leaders discussing trends and best practices for managing workforce challenges in a pandemic world.

On November 10, the Chamber celebrated our small business members and announce the recipient of the 2021 W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award! Harmony House received the award from among a field of deserving finalists including Dynamic DNA Laboratories, Loehr Health Center, OzAir Charter Service and TheraCare. The program also featured a conversation with Rita Baron about her inspiring small business story that highlights the opportunities that can be found right here in our community!

Our First Responders are vital to our quality of life and continued economic growth here – and the Chamber and the business community wanted to say “Thank You." But we also wanted to do it as safely as possible. Rather than gathering for our traditional breakfast event this year, we invited First Responders to a “drive-through” event at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center, where they received hot breakfast and an appreciation gift.

In August, Esther George, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and Charles Gascon of the St. Louis Fed offered virtual presentations to business and community leaders at DoubleTree Hotel's Glendalough Convention Center. They spoke about national and local economic trends, as well as the outlook for continued economic recovery from the pandemic recession.

In July, Governor Mike Parson visited Springfield for the fourth consecutive year to keynote the State of the State event. He shared his outlook for the State of Missouri including our strong economic recovery, efforts around workforce development and transportation investment and his vision for the future of the state.

Annual Member Lunch 2021

At our annual summer get-together, we gathered in a relaxed atmosphere for good food, good times and a look at what's going on in the Chamber and in the community. Chairman Logan Aguirre offered a high-level overview of the results from our recent member survey, several members talked about how the Chamber has supported their organizations, and 2021 Reach Chairman Joselyn Baldner unveiled this year's campaign.

SBDC Annual Meeting 2021

In June, guests heard a virtual panel featuring our past three keynote speakers: Joel Kotkin, America’s uber-geographer; Peter Kageyama, author and community development consultant; and Rebecca Ryan, Futurist, Economist, and “Human Spark Plug.” They discussed the importance of investing in our cities and the role that quality of place improvements play in growing talent that will meet the needs of businesses today and well into the future.

Annual Meeting 2021

At our biggest event on the annual calendar, held this year in May instead of the traditional January, we celebrated the ability to join together in-person once again. We also looked back at how the community has changed and grown through the pandemic, looked ahead to how we are preparing for the future, and honored Warren Davis as the 2021 Springfieldian Award recipient.

ATHENA Award Event 2021

Each year, the ATHENA Award event is all about celebrating, inspiring and advocating for women leaders and the contributions they make to our community. In our first significant in-person event since the beginning of the pandemic, the 2021 ATHENA Award went to Karen Kramer, while the recipient of the Virginia Fry Rising Star Award was Brandy Harris.

ATHENA Award Luncheon 2020

Each year, the ATHENA Award luncheon is all about celebrating, inspiring and advocating for women leaders and the contributions they make to our community. In 2020, the ATHENA Award went to Francine Pratt, while the first recipient of the Virginia Fry Rising Star Award was Ashley Norgard.