Ozark Prosthetics, America's Incredible Pizza owners win SBA awards

A pair of local businesses will receive awards May 3 from the Springfield branch of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Jeff and Wanda Messenger, owners of Ozark Prosthetics & Orthotics at 3250 S. Delaware Ave. in Springfield, are winners of the U.S. SBA Missouri Small Business Person of the Year award.

Ozark Prosthetics & Orthotics is a service and manufacturing business that specializes in orthopedic braces, medical support equipment and prosthetics for people with disabilities.

Criteria for the award include: staying power, the addition of employees and increased sales, current and past financial performance, innovativeness and response to adversity, according to an SBA news release.

The owners are featured in the May 3 Springfield Business Journal's In Focus section, which focuses on small businesses.

Rick and Cheryl Barsness, owners of America’s Incredible Pizza Co. at 2522 S. Campbell Ave. in Springfield, won the SBA Region VII Entrepreneurial Success award, given to a company that started small, received SBA assistance and has grown beyond SBA’s size standards.

Incredible Pizza is a themed restaurant and family entertainment center.

The Barsnesses were selected from nominees throughout Region VII, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, according to an SBA news release.

Mick Nitsch, community president of The Bank of Missouri in Springfield, submitted the Barsnesses’ nomination package.

The awards will be presented 2:30 p.m. May 3 during a reception at the SBA branch office at 830 E. Primrose St., Suite 101, in Springfield. The reception will be 2–4 p.m.

The Messengers will travel to Washington, D.C., the week of May 24 to compete for national Small Business Person of the Year honors.