2025 State of The Community

Dinner will be presented in a buffet style. Below are the options available to choose from:

• Crisp Romaine Caesar Salad with Croutons and Mozzarella 
• Fresh Baked Rolls with Butter
• Red Wine Braised Steak Tips with Sauteed Mushrooms
• Chicken Plicata 
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Herb Roasted Zucchini and Squash with Roasted Red Pepper
• Double Chocolate Cake or Caramel Turtle Cheesecake - NO NUTS
• Iced Tea & Water

*subject to change*

*Please email quicknews@nixaschools.net with any dietary restriction questions by 10/23/2025.
 

This event is at capacity and is sold out. The video will be posted after the event at www.NixaSOC.net.

The passcode for the Nixa Staff Dinner Ticket can be found in the September 10 edition of Staff Communicator.

Under Event Registration please click on 'Have a passcode?' (located towards the red 'checkout' button). Then enter the code and click 'Apply.' Once applied the 'Nixa Staff Dinner Ticket' option will appear. 

The passcode for the Nixa Staff Dinner Ticket can be found in the September 10 edition of Staff Communicator.

We made the decision to have open office hours on Monday’s and Thursday’s due to the nature of the Chamber. Most Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s the Chamber staff is out of the office setting up or tearing down lunches, doing ribbon cuttings, etc. We found ourselves putting a sign on the door nearly every Tuesday and Wednesday saying we were out. I decided it would be better to have more clear and consistent hours. So instead of being open “everyday”, but, in actuality being closed half of that time, we simply changed our office hours officially. Tuesday and Wednesday individuals are able to still meet with staff with an appointment. So we are still available. If we are in the office those days and someone pulls up, we are sure to open the doors for them and help with whatever they need. We have also made it incredibly easy to schedule appointments with the Chamber staff so our businesses have access to us.

This answer could go on for a long time. But I will keep it brief. The Chamber’s primary role is to support local businesses. We do this by providing a space for businesses to connect, to be trained and to find support. Most businesses who do not feel like they receive benefit from a Chamber simply have not found the time to participate. You get out of the Chamber what you put into it. Businesses who join but never come to anything or do anything will have a difficult time finding value in their membership. With that being said, we still strive to bring a greater value even for those individuals. For example we are launching a Chamber Directory in 2026 that will be both an interactive PDF and have some print copies. We feel this will help highlight our chamber members to the community when they are looking for a service or resource. We are also working on offering varied events outside of the lunches where chamber members can come and network without paying extra. We have done that in our Patio Parties and our Ambassador tailgate. 

The Chamber is not a magic solution that will impact your organization the moment you join it. It is a tool that, when used correctly, can assist a business in connecting with the community, offer them professional development, and plug them into other supportive resources. But it is a two way street.

There is a lot more that the chamber does behind the scenes as far as advocating for business with the city, as well as building relationships with larger entities so that when a business is needing some solutions, the chamber can step in and help. 

The chamber takes an active role in promoting shopping local campaigns and you will see a big step in bringing in visitors to shop in our community in the near future.

If a chamber member is feeling frustrated with their membership I would love to sit down with them and discuss why. I am open to feedback and welcome constructive conversations around how to maximize chamber membership.
 

There are two answers for this one. My original bill did not include this time. My original language simply stated that local school districts make a policy that would stop the use of cell phones during instructional time. During the legislative process of course, that changed to include the entire day, from bell to bell. The results have been positive from the reports I have been hearing from schools all around the state.  Students are engaging each other during these social times and not reclusing when among their peers. The halls are filled with communication again and open dialog where they were once filled with silence and the art of verbal communication is being used again.

So, to answer your question, why do I think? Originally, I was open to simply just letting the schools make that decision of policy (and still am) but after seeing the results, I am pleased to see what happening as a result. I guess I it is a lesson learned that good outcomes come from other directions sometimes.