Nixa chamber salutes biz standouts at annual Nixie Awards

At its annual Nixie Awards celebration earlier this month, the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce handed out honors to several businesses and individuals.

Alps Pharmacy and Seven Hills Veterinary Clinic picked up top business honors during the Feb. 18 event at Greenhouse Two Rivers in Highlandville, according to a news release. The 2004-founded Alps Pharmacy, owned by Don and Melody Savley, was honored as Large Business of the Year, with 9-year-old Seven Hills Veterinary Clinic, owned by Dr. Ryan Bader, chosen as Small Business of the Year.

Nixa chamber President and CEO Chris Russell noted in the release it was a year of membership growth for the organization.

“We value the diversity of partnerships here at the Nixa chamber and feel they impact Nixa at a high level,” he said. “We started 2021 with just under 500 members and completed the year with 554.”

The chamber’s board of directors selected the Nixie honorees after reviewing more than 40 nominations.

The chamber also honored:
• Darlene Graham of Nixa City Council as Ambassador of the Year;
• Pamela Anderson of Main Event Center as Individual Member of the Year;
• the Nixa Community Foundation with the Chamber Board of Excellence Award;
• the city of Nixa and Nixa Public Schools with the Community Impact Award;
• Glenn Scott of the Nixa Board of Education with the Sharon Whitehill Lifetime Achievement Award; and
• Sarah Bader of Seven Hills Veterinary Clinic with The Big Nixie award for most valuable player.

In addition to its annual awards ceremony, the chamber also announced plans to move this year. According to the release, the organization recently closed on the purchase of a building in Nixa at 902 W. Mount Vernon St. Russell this morning said the chamber purchased the standalone building from Old Missouri Mutual Insurance Co. for $552,000. The chamber is awaiting approval from the city for a remodel, he added.

The chamber office is currently at 106 W. Sherman Way, Ste. 6, where it moved in April 2017, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.