OTC picks Johnny Morris for business award

Ozarks Technical Community College selected Johnny Morris as the recipient of its annual Excellence in Business Award.

The founder of Bass Pro Shops is scheduled to be honored March 24 at his company’s White River Conference Center. OTC’s business honorees must run a regional business and show such leadership qualities as entrepreneurial success, customer service quality and the ability to overcome challenges, according to a news release.

In 1971, Morris started Bass Pro as a fishing tackle shop at his father’s liquor store, and the venture soon caught on as a catalog business. Springfield’s Outdoor World store opened in 1981, followed by a second in 1997 in Gurnee, Ill. Now, the company operates nearly 80 stores. Forbes magazine estimated Bass Pro’s 2013 revenue at $3 billion and Morris’ net worth at $4.4 billion.

A conservation advocate, Morris’ fish and wildlife initiatives include work at Big Cedar Lodge, Integrity Hills, Dogwood Canyon Nature Park and Top of the Rock.

In 2015, Springfield Business Journal chose Morris for its annual Economic Impact Awards Lifetime Achievement in Business honor.

Last year, OTC honored Mother’s Brewing Co. owner Jeff Schrag. Other past recipients include Jim Anderson, Jack and Peter Herschend, Sam Hamra, John Q. Hammons, the O’Reilly family and Jack Stack, according to the release.