Sikeston Chamber honors individuals, organizations for work in area

SIKESTON, Mo. — Leaders of Sikeston were honored Thursday night, Oct. 20, at the Sikeston Regional Chamber's annual awards banquet.

Held once again at the Sikeston Municipal Airport, the event drew a large crowd as emerging leaders to those honored for a lifetime of work were recognized.

Rice "Pete" Burns Jr. was awarded the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Burns practices law primarily in the areas of federal bankruptcy law, debtors and creditors rights, school law and estate planning. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969 until 1971 and received an honorable discharge.

Burns has been a guest speaker at numerous continuing legal education programs for the Missouri Bar Association, and, in 1994, then-Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed him to the Missouri State Board of Education, where he served until 2000.

He has been president of the Sikeston Lions Club (having been twice awarded the Melvin Jones Fellow Award) and was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Men of America award from the Sikeston Jaycees.

Burns also served on several boards, including the Community Sheltered Workshop and the SEMO Port Authority while also serving on the high school football chain gang for more than 15 years.

Winner of the 2022 Citizen of the Year award Felecia Blanton, center, with her husband, Joseph, left, and son Mark on Thursday night, Oct. 20, at the Sikeston Regional Chamber Awards Banquet.Joseph Blanton, from LinkedIn

Citizen of the Year

Felecia Blanton was honored as the 2022 Citizen of the Year.

Blanton has extensive experience working with not-for-profits such as the American Heart Association, March of Dimes, United Way of the Mid-South, Notre Dame Regional High School, Friends of Saint Francis, Missouri Delta Medical Center and Southeast Missouri State University.

For decades, Blanton has advised on an almost weekly basis multiple Sikeston mayors, councils, the chamber of commerce, charitable organizations and other entities on best business and marketing practices. She currently serves on the multi-county I-57 Committee and has played an important role in obtaining support for the Interstate 57 project from both state and federal officials.

Blanton has also served as the chief strategist and consultant for the successful school bond campaign for the Sikeston Public Schools in 2020, during the midst of the pandemic.

In 2021, Blanton was recognized with an Outstanding Citizen Award by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, and was featured in the Business Today publication as a leader in economic development in Southeast Missouri.

Emerging Leader

Walt Moody was honored as the 2022 Emerging Leader.

Moody moved to Sikeston after college and became a partner in his firm. He has served as a Jaycee president and has also served on the rodeo board. A member of the Kenny Rogers Children's Center Board, Moody is the president of the Sikeston Regional Chamber.

"He is always willing to serve in any capacity he can. He's a great guy and I'm proud to call him a friend," said Brandon Sparks, 2021 Emerging Leader winner.

"I'd like to thank the chamber. I'd like to thank Sikeston for accepting me into this community," Moody said. "I'm very grateful to be part of this community and honored for this award."

Educator of the Year

Kari Hartlein was named the 2022 Educator of the Year.

Sikeston superintendent Shannon Holifield said Hartlein, a sixth grade teacher, teaches at a level that is sometimes tough for kids.

"She shows such grace at that level, holding students to a very high expectation both academically as well as with their behavior," Holifield said. "Yet in doing that, she builds great relationships with her students and they always meet that bar she sets for them. She embodies the 'Sikeston way.'"

Holifield added that at the forefront of Hartlein's mind every day is protecting a learning environment so all students can learn while also being a team player.

"I love working here," Hartlein said. "I love my kids. We have our crazy days but I love (them) so much."

Sikeston Regional Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Mandy Leible, left, with Taylor Deere, chamber membership and program director, Thursday night, Oct. 20, at the Sikeston Regional Chamber Awards Banquet held at the Sikeston Municipal Airport.Photo by Allie Rodgers

SRC Volunteer

Mandy Leible was the winner of the 2022 SRC Volunteer of the Year award.

A Leadership Sikeston graduate and a Sikeston ambassador, Leible also serves on the Tourism Board. She volunteered to serve on the SRC Awards Committee for several years and has stepped up to chair the event the past two years.

"I've had the pleasure of working with her at several chamber events and she is always willing to work with a smile and a 'let's get it done' attitude," said Sandy Mehner, winner of the 2021 SRC Volunteer of the Year award.

"This is an honor," Leible said. "Ever since moving to sikeston and becoming more involved in the chamber, I've grown to love our community and I'll stay involved as long as I possibly can."

Civic Group of the Year

The Sikeston Rotary Club is the 2022 Civic Group of the Year.

The Rotary Club makes multiple contributions to many organizations throughout Sikeston. It provides help to groups such as the Bulldog Pantry, the Booster Club, Southeast Missouri Food Bank, the homeless shelter and also presents multiple scholarships to students moving on in their education.

"They also help out at the sponsor building during the week of rodeo, giving first-class volunteer service toward our patrons that are sponsors, making sure they get the best service throughout the week and have the best experience," said De Bizzell, representing the Sikeston Jaycees, who won the award in 2021.

"What an honor for our club," said Ken Rubenacker of the Rotary Club. "This is outstanding. We've tried to do our best to become involved in community activities and this is one of the rewards in doing that. We're very appreciative."

Law Enforcement — Officer of the Year

Missouri state trooper Joshua Schuenemeyer is the 2022 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

Flint Dees, the 2021 winner of the award, said Schuenemeyer went above and beyond his peers during the major accident on Interstate 57 near Charleston that occurred in March. More than 50 vehicles with many injuries were involved in the accident that many emergency personnel, police, fire, EMS and volunteers helped with.

"(Schuenemeyer) stood out above the others, not only being the first one there but for his heroic efforts during that event," Dees said. "The accident scene was more than a quarter-mile long and encompassed all lanes of the interstate and was both north- and southbound. It was probably the largest accident I've seen in the last 30 years. Some vehicles were on fire and this officer actually focused in on a severe area of the crash scene, that being eight vehicles piled on top of each other, end-to-end."

Scheunemeyer went to a vehicle where the screams for help were coming from. Forced to navigate the fire to get to the truck, Scheunemeyer placed himself in danger to get to the driver.

"They were able to get the guy from the truck just in time before the truck caught on fire," Dees said. "This trooper's heroic actions prove his dedication and willingness to serve the motoring people and the citizens of the State of Missouri."

Jaycee's Young Outstanding Missourian

Travis Deere is the 2022 winner of the Young Outstanding Missourian award.

"(Travis Deere) never backs down from a project, problem. He's been through a lot of challenges in his career and our organization with the Jaycees," said Kris Eastwood, 2021 winner of the award.

Deere has been part of several major projects with the Sikeston Jaycees.

"We had a project that was kind of dying off with our haunted hayride," Eastwood said. "(Deere) came in and he brought Octoberfest and it was a huge success."

Deere also has been a little league football coach, president of the rodeo board and was the general chairman of the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo in 2020.

"It was a major time and major crisis and not one time did he think about backing down or think about giving up," Eastwood said. "That's the type of person and the type of leader you want."

"I feel lucky to have found this organization and found you guys," Deere said. "(From) the skills I have acquired and the people I've met to the experiences I've had, I'm just so lucky I ended up a Sikeston Jaycee."

Small Business of the Year

Mitchell Insurance was the winner of the 2022 Small Business of the Year award.

Brandy Johnson, whose UPS Store won the award in 2021, said Mitchell Insurance is deserving because they have long-standing community relationships.

"They work hard giving back to our community and providing excellent community service," said Brandy Johnson, who noted Mitchell Insurance is a third-generation business. "In addition to their dedication to the Sikeston community, this business has been named a trail blazer in helping fight health care rising costs."

Beth Johnson of Mitchell Insurance said they were proud to be the recipient of the award.

"We've been here over 100 years and we're proud to be part of the Sikeston community and we hope we're here 100 more," Beth Johnson said. "It takes a whole team, all of us, and we're proud of everyone who works here and we're proud of what we do for our clients and our community."

Business of the Year

First State Bank and Trust was the winner of the 2022 Business of the Year award.

First State Bank and Trust was formed in 1934 by seven local business people representing a need during the Great Depression. After three local banks closed, they saw an opportunity to support the agricultural needs of the community.

"They used this opportunity to form this bank and to focus on the agriculture business, to keep not only local businesses thriving but also to support the needs of the farmers in the area," said Jason Schrumpf, CEO of Missouri Delta Medical Center, which won the award in 2021. "This bank is deserving of this award, because not only for the time the members of its organization commit to various boards but also to its monetary contributions that support charitable and philanthropical organizations in our community."

"It's an honor to be recognized as a small business in a town with so many great small businesses," said North Market president Zac Fayette. "We've got a great team here in Sikeston."

"We're very proud to an employee-owned company and we're excited to be recognized," bank president Matt Drake said.