Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their annual awards dinner on Saturday evening.
Hillary Starnes, Chamber Director, presented the Citizen of the Year Award.
"The Citizen of the Year Award recognizes someone within the community who has gone above and beyond for the betterment of Dexter," stated Starnes. "It is an award that used to be annually presented, but went by the wayside years ago and is being revived with the 2015 year."
The recipient of the 2015 Citizen of the Year is a cornerstone of the Dexter community.
John William Ringer's passion for the city of Dexter is evident in more than half a century of service in a multitude of endeavors.
Tireless efforts in the early 1960s brought about the construction of the area's first hospital, now SoutheastHEALTH Center of Stoddard County. Ringer served on the hospital's initial board of directors and remained on the Board until 2008. Of his 44 years on that Board, 25 were in the role of Board President. he continues to serve today as attorney for the Regional Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors.
He served as Associate Circuit Judge in 1985-1986, appointed to fill the term of the late Jimmy Trammel. he had a successful run for the office when the next term came up, but later resigned to resume his practice full time in Dexter, where he remains today on Vine Street.
For the past 37 years, John William Ringer has served as legal representation for Dexter Public Schools. Additionally, he has spent a lifetime promoting literacy, primarily through his efforts on the Board of Directors of what is now Keller Public Library. Within that realm, he has served as a loyal "Friend of the Library" still taking time to volunteer at the library as a guest reader for their popular Story Hour series.
In his younger years, Ringer was active in the local Jaycee organization, serving as president for three terms. He has spearheaded countless fundraisers for worthy causes, including the hospital initiative, library additions and many others. He is also a veteran member of the Dexter Kiwanis Club and in that realm has served in every feasible capacity.
Ringer was recognized as the Chamber's "Man of the Year" in 1964. He was honored in 1995 in Who's Who in American Law and Excellence in Government and in 2013, received the "Friend of the Library's" annual award for his service to the local library.
Along with all of his civic contributions, John William Ringer has devoted a lifetime of service to his place of worship, Dexter's First Baptist Church. He has served as worship leader, Sunday School teacher, church deacon, as legal advisor for the church since the 1960s and in just about every other possible aspect of church service.
Health issues have recently forced this unsung hero to resort to the use of a wheelchair, but the wheels have not slowed his pace in the community. He continues in countless roles - serving quietly, with little fanfare and certainly with no self-gratification. He is a good steward, in the truest sens of the word - a giver and not a receiver - and a valued gift to the community of Dexter.
"We are pleased to present the 2015 Citizen of the Year to John Ringer," continued Starnes. "Congratulations!"
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor.
Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their annual awards banquet on Saturday evening.
Kevin Bishop had the pleasure of introducing the 2015 Educator of the Year Award.
"This Educator has been involved with Dexter schools for many years even before teaching," commented Bishop. "Her family is active in the community. The students say this teacher is fantastic, makes learning fun,helpful, and stays up-to-date with the latest teaching techniques. They also said this teacher has the patience of a saint and knows when a "creative" idea is not so creative."
"This Educator would be grading my paper right now on my grammar and English skills and probably giving me a somewhat decent grade I hope. This teacher overseas an extracurricular activity and makes sure it is ran smoothly, teaching the students a great deal of responsibility to make sure the project is complete each year. She wants them to make the big commitment to this activity and makes it fun while doing it. She makes sure every student meets their curriculum and goals for the year. This educator gets the "stamp of approval" from her students. She instills pride and motivation into her students. She reminds the students that they are responsible for the memories that people will have forever in a yearbook form. But when she is not teaching students, she is enjoying her time with her husband and two girls."
The 2015 Educator of the Year is Dexter High School teacher and yearbook sponsor Mrs. Laura Lee Stone.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times manager/editor.
Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their annual awards banquet on Saturday evening.
Chamber Director Debbie Stidham presented the Industry of the Year Award. The two nominations were Faurecia and Tyson.
Faurecia has brought over 480 jobs to our community. The original Arvin was built in 1974. it merged with Arvin-Meritor in 2000, was redesigned as Emcon Technolgies in 2007 and then became Faurecia in 2010. They are a worldwide automotive supplier of seating, exhaust systems and interiors with 330 sites in 34 countries. In 2015, they wanted to create an initiative called "Being Faurecia". They created a culture on the concepts on entrepreneurship, energy, respect, autonomy, and accountability.
They wanted to be a good ambassador to our community. They created a team focused on raising money and seeking out community projects that the workers could get involved with. They donated to Mother-to-Mother, DARE, Meals on Wheels, Relay for Life, 18FORELife, and Shop with a Hero. They are continuing to find ways to give back to Dexter and expand their industry.
Tyson is another major employer with around 625 employees. They started in 1935 in Arkansas and soon after opened a Dexter plant. Over the years this industry's operation in Dexter has grown and today their product goes from the egg to our tables. In fact, we enjoyed their product this evening. They are eager to help the community with donations and volunteer work. They are a huge supporter of our local farm families and keep the poultry business alive and growing around our area. they are involved with the Downtown Fall Festival, they are a sponsor of the Dexter's Grille it Up Cook-Off in July, a big supporter of the Chamber and much more. Mark makes sure his team is happy and makes a huge effort to acknowledge each one of them by name.
The 2015 Industry of the Year is Tyson Foods.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor.
Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their annual awards banquet on Saturday evening.
"We can't express how grateful we are to have such wonderful businesses in Dexter," commented Stacey Blocker. "The nominations this year showed us what a caring community it is and that the citizens show their support for all businesses."
The top three nominees stood out for their love of Dexter and their endless effort to do things for Dexter. All of the nominees not only own and operate one business, they have at least two businesses they own.
The nominees are the ShowMe Times, N'Style Galleria, and The Loft.
1. ShowMe Times puts in endless amount of time. She needs about 48 hours in a day to cover all the things that are going on in Stoddard County. When you see Dee Loflin running around, you know there is an event going on. She seems to be a one woman show, but she has a great support backing her. the ShowMe Times team is always looking for ways to grow and communicate with the citizens. They are all positive news and informing you on everything. They do ads, text alerts, classifieds, Facebook, Twitter and of course their ShowMe Times website. The owner, Alan Hedrick recently added Air SMT utilizing a drone to video record Dexter and the surrounding areas. We can only image what is next.
2. N'Style Galleria or formerly known as Lois' House of Fashion was purchased by Pam Garner in March 2014. She carries fashion accessories, Merle Norman Cosmetics, clothing line, offers full service salon and art gallery with custom paintings and photography. She is always looking at ways to grow. She recently started MeN'Style which offers men's clothes and custom design shirts. She is eager to participate in what Dexter is doing and sponsors the Annual Cruisin' for Kids car show in downtown Dexter. This event brings several people into Dexter and all proceeds go to children in need.
3. The Loft which is owned and operated by Brian Crawford since 2011. Brian isn't from Dexter, but saw the potential and decided to put in a store. His store fronts have really made the downtown look great. After suffering a fire to his store, he rebuilt and even grew into a larger business. they carry a full coffee bar, tea, and hot chocolate. the store has beautiful furniture, jewelry, home decor, and many other unique items. He is always willing to support the local schools and organizations and individuals that are in need of help. He host many events in his store that gives people a different experience. In 2014, eh opened his second store "The French market" that offers truffles, spices, herbs, and other cooking needs. His store overcame tragedy and became a bigger and better asset to Dexter downtown.
The 2015 Business of the Year went to The Loft.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor.
Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter Chamber of Commerce held their annual awards banquet on Saturday evening.
Chris Brannan said, " Dexter has several great organizations that do a lot of community service. We had several nominations turned in this year."
"The committee narrowed it down to three very active and well deserved nominees: Relay for Life of Stoddard County, Dexter Lions Club, and Star Banner 4-H of Dexter."
1. Relay for Life has been raising money to fight cancer since 2004. In 2005, over $81,000 was raised to provide services and life saving research to cancer patients in Stoddard County. This year they are going to strive to hit the $1 million mark of funds raised within Stoddard County. Their annual event is huge and brings positive attention to Stoddard county.
2. Dexter Lions Club does tons of work for Dexter. They provide and pay for the school children's eye exams and also provide eye exams and glasses for others in nee. They hand out two $1,500 scholarships to students, they pay for the student athletes to play in state all-star games and donated 3 Lion water fountains to the city parks. they also donate annually to the Wreaths Across America, Stoddard County Children's Home, Boy Scouts, Boys state and Girls State, after Prom activities, Truck or Treat, Mid South Lions Sight and Hearing and the Kenny Rogers Telethon. They have fundraising events, such as their annual golf tournament, Waffle Day, and sell funnel cakes at the Stoddard County Fair. They are very active and we appreciate their work.
3. The Star Banner 4-H of Dexter program completes several community service projects throughout the year. They go to nursing homes for holiday visits, play Bingo, go caroling, and deliver food baskets. They have also done several other projects like Wreaths Across America, had a haunted house, and participate in the Stoddard County Fair. Each student chooses to participate in speech contest, livestock, entrepreneurship, workmanship, or political involvement to obtain their service hours. These students are learning viable skills before graduating from school.
The 2015 Organization of the Year Award goes to the Dexter Lions Club.
Photo credit to Dee Loflin, ShowMe Times Manager/Editor.
