February 2025 Newsletter

February 2025

After a long, cold January, a break in the weather is here and busier times are ahead. Nominations for Businessperson and Citizen of the Year are still being accepted through Feb. 7th. Please make sure to submit by Feb. 7th for consideration. Nomination forms can be found at Piedmont Area Chamber of Commerce | Events or picked up at the Chamber office. The date for the BPOY Banquet has been set for March 27th at Trinity United Methodist and planning is currently underway.

The 3rd Annual Piedmont UFO Fest planning is also in full swing. We are now accepting applications for all vendors. Forms can be found at www.visitpiedmontmo.com/piedmontufofest or in the Chamber office. The Wayne County Historical Society will be hosting a variety of speakers and presenters again this year. If you would like to join the lineup for 2025 please reach out now for guidelines and details. If your business is planning an event for UFO Fest please send the details to chamber@visitpiedmontmo.com so we can help promote and include it in the master Schedule of Events. Our office has already started receiving multiple calls per week regarding this event and we are looking forward to this year being the biggest and best yet!

As previously sent, we have transitioned to a new texting service that partners with our newsletter through Constant Contact. Links to sign up for alerts are live on the homepage of our website. Textcaster sign ups do not transfer due to safety permissions. Anyone wanting to receive updates will have to sign up again.

As a reminder, chamber memberships and annual sponsorships were mailed and should have been received in early January. We encourage you to return them asap to receive the full year of benefits.

This Month:

Feb 1: Grateful Dead 1 Year Anniversary Celebration

Feb 1: Gooch's National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day Celebration

Feb 7: Businessperson and Citizen nominations due

Feb 11: City Council Meeting

Feb 13: Chamber Board Meeting

Feb 15: PTO 5th/6th Grade Valentines Dance

Feb 21: Wayne Co Community Building (AARP) Chili Fundraiser

Coming Soon:

March 27: Businessperson of the Year Banquet

March 22: Otahki Lake KOA Shamrock Shuffle 5K

March 28: Genesis Homecare Community Bingo

April 12: 3rd Annual Childhood Abuse Awareness Family Fun Day

April 25-26: Piedmont UFO Fest

Advantage Home Care

Bootheel In Home Care

Clearwater R-1 School District

Eagle Sky of the Ozarks

FCC Behavioral Health

Genesis Home Care

Impact Fisheries

Missouri Highland Healthcare

Saint Francis Healthcare

Town & Country

Tractor Supply Co

Walk in Wonders

Z Manufacturing

Grateful Headz Piedmont 1 Year Anniversary

Saturday, February 1st Grateful Headz Piedmont will be celebrating their one year anniversary in a big way. Food, live music, local artists, giveaways and more are all in the line up for a fun filled day at one of Piedmont's newest businesses. Make your plans to come out and join the party! For more info check out Grateful Headz - Piedmont FB page.

Facebook - Grateful Headz - Piedmont

Otahki Lake KOA Earns 2024 KOA ICON Award for Excellence

Just a few short years ago Otahki Lake KOA, formerly known as the local Girl Scout Camp sat vacant and mostly forgotten. Under new ownership of the Ellis family and their creative vision, the now thriving local campground is receiving national awards of excellence for their KOA. See the full press release below.

Sam A. Baker/Otahki Lake KOA Holiday Earns 2024 KOA ICON Award for Excellence

Local campground recognized among the top 10% of KOA campgrounds for outstanding guest satisfaction and operational performance

KOA NEWS SERVICE (Billings, Mont., January 15, 2025) — Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), the largest system of privately owned campgrounds in the world, is proud to announce that Sam A. Baker/Otahki Lake KOA Holiday has been recognized with the prestigious KOA ICON Award. This recognition highlights campgrounds that demonstrate exceptional operational excellence, customer satisfaction, and a commitment to the KOA brand.

The KOA ICON Award is granted to the top 10% of KOA campgrounds across North America based on criteria including growth in camper nights, Net Promoter Scores (NPS)–a widely recognized customer loyalty and satisfaction metric broadly used throughout the hospitality sector–and engagement with KOA programs that drive brand excellence. Replacing the long-standing President’s and Founder’s Awards, this new recognition program focuses on measurable performance metrics and brand participation, celebrating campgrounds that consistently go above and beyond, providing superior experiences for their guests.

“Sam A. Baker/Otahki Lake KOA Holiday achieved this milestone through a combination of a high NPS score and a significant growth in camper nights, demonstrating a deep dedication to creating unforgettable experiences for guests,” shared Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of KOA. “In addition, the campground’s active participation in KOA programs played a key role in earning this accolade.”

The KOA ICON recognition is part of KOA’s larger commitment to celebrating campgrounds that continuously strive to exceed guest expectations. KOA has also introduced a quarterly recognition program that highlights campgrounds with top NPS scores and those demonstrating year-over-year improvement.

As a KOA ICON campground, Sam A. Baker/Otahki Lake KOA Holiday will enjoy unique benefits designed to amplify their achievement, including dated logo placement on KOA.com, enhanced award designation marketing materials, and recognition in KOA corporate marketing initiatives. This honor underscores the importance of delivering exceptional service and fostering a loyal camper base.

Located at 1224 Wayne 318 in Patterson, Missouri, the Sam A. Baker/Otahki Lake KOA Holiday is open year round.

For more information about Sam A. Baker/Otahki Lake KOA Holiday, or to make a reservation, please visit the campground’s website. Reservations are also available by going online or using the KOA App. To learn more about KOA and its network of campgrounds, visit www.KOA.com.

Chili Fundraiser Planned to Raise Money for the Wayne Co Community Building

In mid 2024 the Chamber began managing the Wayne County Community Building (formerly AARP) in an effort to keep the building open and provide a service to the community. Since then, the building has been available to community organizations for public events with no charge for any events that are free to the public. Chamber Meetings, PTO Meetings, Piedmont Comprehensive Planning Meetings, FCC Behavioral Health Classes, University of MO Extension Series', Wayne Co Quilting Club, Share the Blessings Community Thanksgiving Dinner, Missouri Al-Anon Family Groups' District 3 and Piedmont 4-H Group Meetings have all enjoyed the use of the building during the second half of 2024. As we move into 2025 and more community events, we are looking to raise money to help cover the operating expenses for the building so that we can continue to offer it free of charge for these worthy community events and more! Please make plans to join us on Feb. 21st for a chili dinner to help support this great cause!

Businessperson and Citizen of the Year Nominations Being Accepted

Each year the Piedmont Area Chamber of Commerce selects a Businessperson and Citizen of the Year to be recognized for their generous contributions to the Piedmont Community. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 candidates. Forms for both Businessperson and Citizen can be found on our website at www.visitpiedmontmo.com/bpoybanquet or picked up at the Chamber office during normal business hours. Please submit all nominations by Feb. 7th. Details for the Businessperson of the Year Banquet will be announced at a later date.

PTO Plans Another Great School Event

Clearwater PTO will be hosting a 5th & 6th Grade Valentines Dance on Feb 15th at the Clearwater Family Youth Center. This is the most recent in a long string of successful events that the PTO has planned and implemented for the school and it's students. To find learn more about all of their projects past and upcoming or to join the effort check out the Clearwater PTO FB Page.

Facebook - Clearwater PTO

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