Inductees

Tucked back from the southwest corner of Highway 65 and Sunshine Street in east Springfield sits a building equipped with a sign that reads Hamra Enterprises.

Anyone who drives by may not realize its enormous reach, both in the restaurant business and in giving back.

The company was founded by Sam & June Hamra in 1975, and the family has proven to have one of the biggest hearts you’ll ever find. After all, their generosity can be found all over the country, and especially in Springfield.

In fact, when the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame opened in 1994 in Springfield, the Hamra Family made sure to throw its support behind the effort. And continues to do so.

That’s why Hamra Enterprises was bestowed the 2024 John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award for championing the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports in general in the Show-Me State.

The award is named after the Springfield hotelier and philanthropist who launched the Hall of Fame, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that, throughout most of its history, has not applied for state or federal funding. That has meant the Hall of Fame has raised funds through private donations, induction ceremonies, golf tournaments, a sporting clays classic and auctions.

Fortunately, Hamra Enterprises has been there every step of the way. The company opened its first Wendy’s franchise in 1975 on west Sunshine Street in Springfield. From 1976 to 2001, the business grew to 26 total restaurants. In 2001, Mike Hamra joined the business to develop the Panera brand in Boston and Chicago and to lead the growth of the Wendy’s business beyond Missouri.

Today, the company has almost 200 locations with operations in 11 states, with more than 7,400 employees with concepts that include Wendy’s, Panera, Noodles & Company and most recently Caribou Coffee.

“The Hamra Family is a strong advocate of supporting its local communities where it does business and appreciates the difference an organization can make in supporting non-profits in the Ozarks,” said Mike Hamra, who became President and Chief Operating Officer in 2005, and subsequently CEO of all brands in 2011. “It’s been extremely rewarding to see the impact our support has had in ensuring the vision of non-profits have on the lives of people and families in the Ozarks.”

Sam Hamra was a friend of Hammons, and many others.

“I met Sam in 1976. Over the last few years, we have joked a lot about knowing each other for over half of his life,” said Jerald Andrews, the President and CEO of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame from October 1995 to July 2022. “When I arrived at the Hall of Fame, he was serving on the Board of Directors, now known as the Governing Board. He was not an officer, but was very involved in everything that we did. When I started the corporate sponsor program, he wanted to be involved and have the Wendy’s logo on all of our materials. They were one of the first to sign up for the corporate sponsor program.”

Hamra Enterprises’ influence can be found all over the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Just take a stroll through the Legends Walkway just outside the facility in southeast Springfield.

That’s where you’ll find bronze busts and larger-than-life statues of some of the most influential figures in Missouri’s rich sports history.

Among the larger-than-life statues are two that Sam Hamra took the lead on: one honors University of Missouri basketball coach Norm Stewart, the other pays tribute to West Plains’ Bill Virdon.

The Stewart statue is of the coach storming out of his bench chair from the sideline, presumably to holler at referees.

The Virdon statue depicts his terrific catch in Game 1 of the 1960 World Series, as Virdon helped the Pittsburgh Pirates upset the New York Yankees in a seven-game thriller. A photo of the catch is actually captured in a baseball card owned for years by Andrews.

Additionally, the Hall of Fame manages the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, a key stop on the Korn Ferry Tour. The tournament has gifted more than $20.5 million to charities since 1990, with the number of charities growing from one to more than 50 annually.

Hamra Enterprises has been among the sponsors of the PCCC, which includes a number of pro-am golf tournaments, an auction and other events.

In other words, the Hamra Family’s support of sports and charities is consistent – and extends well beyond the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

“At Missouri State University, they have been involved with The Bears Fund since day one,” said Brent Dunn (MSHOF 2023), Vice President of University Advancement and Executive Director of the Missouri State Foundation. “Not only do they support athletics, the Hamras support about every other area in the university, especially in the performing arts and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. In Ellis Hall, we dedicated the June Hamra Recital Hall in 2017.  June Hamra was a member of the Board of Governors.”

Dunn noted that he considers the Hamras personal friends and emphasized that, “(Sam) has always been interested in making Missouri State better for our students faculty and staff. He and June rarely miss any event on campus and appreciate their time spent in many discussions and visits over the years. They truly care about this region and always want to be involved.”

At Mizzou, where Sam earned a law degree, the campus cannot say enough good things, either.

“The Hamra Family is a tremendous #MizzouMade story,” said Todd McCubbin, Executive Director of the Mizzou Alumni Association. “It started with Sam leaving his hometown in the Bootheel to attend Mizzou. His wife, June, has a master’s degree and his son and daughter both are graduates of MU’s Law School. They are enthusiastic philanthropists and volunteers supporting various campus entities. Often my conversations with Sam include an assessment of our beloved Mizzou Tigers.”

The Hamra Family has lent its support to numerous charitable causes: The Kitchen, the Boys and Girls Club, Children’s Miracle Network, Make-A-Wish, St. Jude Research Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, American Heart Association, Autism Speaks, Boy Scouts of America, Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks, Convoy of Hope, Council of Churches, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Disabled Veterans National Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Drew Lewis Foundation, Episcopal Relief and Development, Ozarks Public Television, PAWS for Purple Hearts, Special Olympics, Springfield Symphony and Springfield Mid-American Singers, State Historical Society of Missouri, The Army Historical Foundation, United Way of the Ozarks, VFW and USO.

Another is Legal Services of Southern Missouri, a not-for-profit which provides case representation and advice to low-income persons in civil matters only and serves only low-income and elderly – and never charges a fee to a client.

“In the early 1970’s, Sam saw first-hand how low-income individuals and families were being denied access to justice,” said Sharon Alexander, Chief Operating Officer of Legal Services of Southern Missouri. “He recognized that individuals and families were not going to make it out of poverty without the support to resolve their legal problems. He made the decision to ensure the final words of the Pledge of Allegiance, ‘with Liberty and Justice for all,’ would come true for the less fortunate by organizing the Legal Aid Association of Greene County, Missouri. Sam served as the first Chairman of the Board and set the cornerstone of what has become Legal Services of Southern Missouri (LSSM) covering 43 counties with five offices.”

Alexander went on to say, “Through his foresight and continued support, the organization has helped thousands from being wrongfully evicted from their homes, in abusive situations, taken advantage of by predatory lenders, wrongfully denied Medicaid and public benefits.”

Overall, the Hamra Family has defined what it means to be a family – by welcoming strangers with open arms.

“It’s an honor to be acknowledged with this award, especially given the friendship Sam and John Q. had,” Mike Hamra said. “There was a strong mutual respect between the two community leaders, and Sam respected John for the work he did but, more importantly, for the investment and contribution he made to the Springfield community.”