Springfield Chamber announces the 2025 Athena and Virginia Fly Awards
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2025 winners of the Athena and Virginia Fly Awards. The award recognizes exceptional women who have demonstrated excellence in the profession, community service and mentorship of other women in their community.
“Our 2025 winners illustrate the qualities they celebrate at the Athena and Virginia Fly’s Rising Star Awards,” said indoor officer president Matt Morrow. “They are not only skilled leaders in their field, they are also dedicated mentors and community champions. We look forward to seeing how they continue to form our community for years to come.”
2025 Athena Award winner Stephanie O’Connor is Senior Vice President of City Utilities – Chief Technology and People’s Officer. O’Connor is a graduate of Leadership Springfield Signature Class 34, a member of Sunrise Rotary, and is a recipient of the 2001 Springfield Business Journal 40 Under 40. She was the first woman to be selected by the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) Association of IT Executives (AITP) in 2018. In 2021, she was awarded the Missouri Public Interest Alliance Honor Award, which means 20 most influential women in the Springfield Business Journal, one of the women of Biz 417. O’Connor is actively involved in the community and offers numerous boards and committees. She is also the founder of the Strong Women in Achieving Goals (SWAG) program.
Dr. Nacy Tai Ryerson, recipient of the 2025 Virginia Fry Rising Star Award, is a leader in education dedicated to transforming traditional models into adaptable systems based on personalized strength that caters to the needs of all learners. As co-founder of Encompass Academy, a pioneering educational school in Springfield, she advocates student-centered, research-driven educational practices. Dr. Ryerson’s influence has spread beyond the siege as he worked in guest lectures at the University, Champions, a committed student, and was recognized as one of the 20 most influential women in the Springfield Business Journal in 2024. Our commitment to innovation and accessible education is shaping the future of learning in the Springfield community.
Piney River Brewing Company Celebrating 14 Years
Piney River Brewing Company will celebrate 14 years of brewing craft beer at a party at Brewery Farm on Saturday, March 22nd from 2pm to 10pm. The “14th ALEISERARY” party will be held in the barn.
Two Springfield bands, the Stevie Newman Band and the Hurricane, will perform, while the Springfield Tinga Tacos are on the scene on a Tachoustrailer. The taproom at Piney River’s barn features several limited release beers all year round, along with non-alcoholic Andy root beers and gluten-free hard seltzer and cider.
All ages are welcome and everyone is asked to display their identification before entering. Leashed pets are also welcome. For more information, please visit www.pineyriverbrewing.com online.
The Chamber of Commerce is adopting a new strategic plan
The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce announced at its annual general meeting on January 31st the launch of a new long distance strategic plan called The Chamber Path. Developed with the inputs of more than 400 stakeholders, partners and investors across the region, the Chamber of Commerce aims to cultivate trust-based partnerships that will help lead and maintain economic growth over the next five years.
The chamber path focuses on four important priorities:
Workforce-responsive groups that lead local economic development will strengthen and support BusinessOperate along with excellence
For more information about Chamber Path, visit www.springfieldchamber.com/the-path-strategic-plan-2025-action-plan/ to read the full long distance plan provided by Economic Leadership.
Construction Week Women will start on March 2nd
The National Association of Women (NAWIC) will celebrate Women Under Construction (WIC) Week from March 2-8 with various events.
Local chapter, Nawic Southwest Missouri #366, invites all local women working in all positions in the construction industry to participate in scheduled events throughout the week. The WIC week schedule includes:
Monday: Declaration ceremony at Bush Municipal Building at 1pm with the city of Springfield; Tuesday: Family Game Night from 5pm to 7pm in the Library Bureau’s Frisco Community Room); Prima, located on South Glenstone Avenue. All week: Blood Drive at the Community Blood Center in Ozark.
Personal protective equipment is required for site tours. Details and links for events for online registration are available at the NAWIC website at www.nawissuthwestmo.org/events or its Facebook page @nawissuthwestmissouri.
James River Church will donate to the cold shelter
On Monday, February 17th, James Riverchurch staff and volunteers bought and donated hundreds of blankets, groceries and essential equipment for the new cold shelter in North Springfield.
Managed by Ozarks Community Partnership, Springfield’s Crisis Crisis Cold-Weather Shelter program provides life-saving shelters and resources to individuals experiencing homelessness during extreme winter temperatures. In response to urgent needs during recent cold snaps, James River Church has donated hundreds of important life-saving items to support the shelter openings. Church outreach has been expanded to other regional shelters, including Eden Village in North Springfield.
Outreach was part of James River Church’s “Saturday Serve” and part of a monthly partnership between the community and James River Church. For more information, call the church at 417-581-5433 or visit Jamesriver.church/serve.
Green County expansion swears to new councillors
The new members were sworn at a meeting in February of the Greene County Expansion Council.
Council members work with University of Missouri Extension staff throughout the year to plan and recommend educational programs. New members who began their term in Green County are Lisa Bakelink, Cara Harris, Bill Nuguen and Shelia Taylor.
He has served a term of several years. Mary Challender, Sandy Houchin, Elaine Montgomery, Judy Steinbach, Meri Sutherland and Eric Sutton. Members appointed include Morgan Ash and Habitat for Humanity. John Russell, Green County. Joseph Hoffman, Springfield City. Tammy Raleigh, Farm Bureau.
For more information on offering the Greene County Extension Council or the Greene County Extension Program, contact Springfield at the University of Missouri Extension Office 417-881-8909 or follow “University of Missouri Extension Green County” on Facebook.
Branson Bank promotes Joseph Chelek
Branson Bank has announced Joseph Chelek Jr.’s promotion to Portfolio Officer & Government Loan Expert. Cherek manages the day-to-day operations of the credit sector and serves as a pointer for efficient loan underwriting, portfolio management and guaranteed loan processing. He is responsible for conducting loan reviews, underwriting, maintaining regulatory compliance and managing credit risk.
Chelek received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska Omaha University, focusing on business finance, the banking and financial systems and investment portfolio management. Since graduating, he has accumulated over 11 years in a variety of bank roles, including Teller, Lead Teller and Universal Banker, before joining the Branson Bank credit team in 2019 as portfolio risk manager.
Chelek recently joined the Lakes Area Leadership Academy, a Branson Chamber of Commerce and CVB program.
Branson adds Veterans Initiative Manager
The CVB with the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Branson hired Cody Petersen as Veterans Initiative Manager on February 17th.
Petersen is a US Air Force veteran with more than nine years of experience in projects, programs, facility management and fundraising. Petersen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration specializing in project management from Park University.
Petersen’s new position is funded through the tourism tax with the goal of creating collaborations between the city and the Chamber of Commerce, focusing on veterans within and around the community. Kody also supports a variety of veteran and military-related events in the region. Anyone interested in working with Branson as a destination to attract, promote and view active duty military personnel and veterans is encouraged to contact kpetersen@bransoncvb.com (417-243-2126) or call 417-243-2126.
BPJ Insurance announces new employee benefits manager
BPJ Insurance, an independent employee-owned insurance agent headquartered in Springfield, has announced that Sarah Wehner will be promoted to Employee Benefits Manager.
With nearly 14 years of experience at BPJ, Wehner previously served as a customer service associate responsible for daily client account servicing, new and update businesses, data management, market analysis to solve complex benefits, billing and eligibility issues. She holds a Missouri Life & Health Insurance License and will continue to focus on providing superior services while strengthening BPJ benefits.
