Our members are proud of their chamber and this event is designed to tap into that pride by showcasing the work and results of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Attended by the Missouri Chamber board of directors, members, associations, legislators and statewide elected officials, this meeting is the “must attend” event of the year.
Attire: cocktail or business
$200 per person
This year’s dinner and awards program will be held at nature-inspired White River Conference Center, 600 West Sunshine, Springfield, MO.
We have secured a block of rooms at Hotel Vandivort, 305 E. Walnut.
Book your room by Oct. 29 to secure the discounted rate of $159/night, plus taxes.
Last year’s program was memorable – check out the highlights below to relive the night and to get a glimpse of what to expect!
Each year the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry bestows our organization’s highest honor, the Champion of Enterprise, on one Missouri company. This award is reserved for the few businesses that are cornerstones of Missouri’s economy. It is given only to companies that stand apart as leaders, embodying the elements needed for our state’s future success. We are honored to recognize Hammons Black Walnuts with the 2025 Champion of Enterprise award.
In 1946, grocer Ralph Hammons noticed a lot of wild Black Walnuts growing all over Southwest Missouri. Seeing the future potential of this local crop, he bought a cracking machine and began buying Black Walnuts from the hardworking Ozarks people who gathered them each fall.
Over 70 years later, Hammons Products Company is still family-owned. The tradition has been carried on by Ralph’s son, Dwain, and now grandson, Brian as well as great-grandson, Jacob, making four generations of Hammons entrepreneurial leaders.
Hammons Products Company continues to buy Black Walnuts the same way Ralph did in 1946. Coming to the company from over 215 local buying stations across 11 states, the efforts of thousands of people working together has helped make the American Black Walnut an integral piece of Midwest culture and a staple ingredient in many sweet and savory recipes.
Join us November 20 as we recognize the Hammons family and their contributions to Missouri!
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry annually presents its “Missourian in the Arena” award to an individual who has gone above and beyond to protect Missouri employers. It is inspired by President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Although this award has traditionally honored elected officials, this year we’re breaking tradition to recognize a very worthy individual. Rudy Farber, chairman of Community Bank & Trust in Neosho, has long been a champion of economic growth in Missouri. He has served on the Missouri Chamber Board of Directors since 2006, as well as numerous statewide boards and commissions. His legacy includes fundraising over $40 million for medical and dental schools in Joplin, and his leadership has left a lasting mark on transportation, health care and business across Missouri.
We look forward to honoring Rudy Farber on November 20th for his lifetime commitment to our state’s economy and steadfast support of the Missouri Chamber.
If you’re interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities contact Chris Burruss
at [email protected] or call 573-634-3511.
Information will continue to be released, but in the meantime, reach out if you have any questions.
