Chamber Celebrates Local Business with Holiday Luncheon

Chamber members enjoyed a delicious buffet (photo S Jason Cole).

December 14, 2022 – The Excelsior Springs Chamber of Commerce celebrated the close of a busy year with their annual holiday luncheon held at the Elms Hotel and Spa. A decadent buffet headlined by a glazed ham entree prepared the local business professionals for the presentation of several awards for businesses and individuals. Chamber President Brian Rice, gave out four awards this year including Business of the Year, Chamber Member of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and a special Grand Captian Award. Rice read a prepared statement for each awardee highlighting their accomplishments.

2022 BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: THE ELMS HOTEL

Jessica Higginbotham, General Manager of the Elms Hotel accepted the award for Business of the Year from Chamber Board Chairman Bill Westerheide (photo S Jason Cole).

The Elms Hotel has always been one of Excelsior’s greatest attractions and a destination for tourists. One of the oldest businesses in Clay County, the Elms is currently in its 134th year of business. But the hotel’s current owners — the Horizon Hotel Group — set their sights even higher. Their vision was to be the number one wellness hotel and spa in the Midwest. To achieve that goal, they recently completed a multimillion-dollar makeover raising the historic charm of the hotel to a new level with modern comfort and amenities. The spa area expanded to 28,000 square feet, making it the largest hotel spa in the Midwest.

And while the hotel has now become a destination for guests from all over the world, the hotel staff, managed by Hyatt, give just as much of their time to the local community. The Elms hosts the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration, they donate rooms and services to the Waterfest Grand Marshal year after year, and they never miss an opportunity to sponsor an event or to donate to our many non-profit organizations. They know the value of community teamwork and contribute regularly to the success of our local tourism industry. It is because of these contributions and many more that the Elms Hotel receives this year’s Chamber Business of the Year Award.

2022 CHAMBER MEMBER OF THE YEAR: REMAX AREA REAL ESTATE

Jake and Melissa Simmons accepted the award for Chamber Members of the Year from Chamber Board Chairman Bill Westerheide (photo S Jason Cole).

Melissa and Jake Simmons exemplify the best character traits of Excelsior Springs. With their bottomless pit of energy, they pour countless hours of service into Excelsior Springs, motivated purely by their love for this community.

Melissa is a wealth of ideas, sharing cutting-edge suggestions for our community’s growth at every turn. Her general ‘cheerleader’ attitude toward all things Excelsior is hard to miss. Melissa’s attention to the city’s west side development is noticed by all, with years-long efforts to improve business-unity and family-friendly events. Her leadership in forming the west side’s community improvement district will help secure a federal matching grant of $21.5 million and truly change the face of Excelsior Springs forever.

Jake, a third-generation family realtor, knows his Excelsior Springs home inside and out. His knowledge of local business and his commitment to service through the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Parks & Rec Board, prove Jake is a visionary with only the best in mind for our hometown.

Jake and Melissa Simmons are Excelsior’s “first family” when it comes to community involvement. They support local schools, the Downtown Excelsior Partnership, the Park Foundation, the Chamber of Commerce, and so much more. This is long overdue, but Jake & Melissa have more than earned this year’s Chamber Member of the Year Award.

2022 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: ABIGAIL DOUGLAS

Abigail Douglas accepted the award for Volunteer of the Year from Chamber Board Chairman Bill Westerheide (photo S Jason Cole).

Abigail Douglas could just be a Chamber Board member; she could serve as an advisor, put in her volunteer hours to the Chamber, and call it a day. But instead, Abi rises above and beyond everyone else with her time, commitment, and love for the Chamber of Commerce.

Last year, Abi increased her role in Waterfest by taking the lead on the popular Waterfest Parade, successfully bringing back this festival favorite after a two-year hiatus. Her help with Waterfest went beyond the parade, as Abi helped at the administrative level and did so much to organize Excelsior’s biggest event and bring it back to life.

Abi took the lead in creating a brand new Farmer’s Market this year, making farm fresh produce and products available not just to the community, but to the underprivileged too by making SNAP and EBT purchases available.

It doesn’t stop there. Abi has worked beside Melissa Simmons in the time-intensive task of securing signatures on the west side to create our community improvement district, showcasing Abi’s attention to detail and her steadfastness when it comes to accomplishing a goal. Abi never misses a meeting, always attends luncheons and ribbon cuttings, and is first to volunteer when a need arises.

It is without question that Abigail Douglas has earned this year’s Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award.

2022 CHAMBER TROLLEY GRAND CAPTAIN: GARY RENNE

Gary Renne was recognized as “Chamber Trolley Grand Captain” and accepted the award from Chamber Board Chairman Bill Westerheide (photo S Jason Cole).

In 2014, with funds generated from the local License Bureau under Chamber management, we bought our first trolley. Gary Renne was there. His love for the trolley was evident with the time he poured into helping us find the people and resources necessary to paint and restore Little T into one of Excelsior’s greatest attractions.

In the years that followed, the Chamber acquired another trolley, then another, growing our trolley fleet into a successful business for the Chamber, sustaining Chamber functions even after losing the renewal bid for the License Bureau. Gary’s vision for the trolleys and his connections around town kept the Chamber supplied with drivers, found storage solutions for our growing fleet, and consistently solved problems that come with owning unique vehicles such as Little T, Molly, and Chance. The fleet expanded yet again last year with the addition of our STAR shuttle, and Gary was there, volunteering his time to drive to Illinois and bring STAR home and put her into service.

As the trolley business rolls into a new era of growth and development under the leadership of Trolley Coordinator Lindsay Hall, we stop and acknowledge that we wouldn’t be where we are without the quiet, steady, and faithful service of Gary Renne. It is with great pleasure that we award Gary the first and only “GRAND CAPTAIN AWARD” for his love and devotion to our trolleys, their drivers, and the thousands of guests he has driven around Excelsior Springs.


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