Biz 100
Biz 417 Person of the Year 2024: Johnny Morris
For some, the gap between brainstorming a great idea and bringing it to life can feel wide. For Johnny Morris, it’s just another day at the office. His latest big idea, Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, is why he’s Biz 417’s Person of the Year.
by Jordan Blomquist
Nov 2024
With an official grand opening this year, Johnny Morris added Thunder Ridge Nature Arena to his portfolio of one-of-a-kind business and conservation ventures. The inspiration behind this project was simple and reflective of his other initiatives: to display the stunning Ozarks landscapes in a new way.
The Ozarks have a way of feeling like home for locals and visitors alike. For Morris, that feeling led him to build a conservation empire. His parents are both from the Ozarks, and he spent his childhood reeling in fish on the White River with the rolling hills of the Ozarks serving as his backdrop. When Morris was 21 years old, he fished in the first national bass tournament held on Table Rock Lake. “That gave me the fever,” he laughs. While at the tournament, Morris made a list of different lures used by other anglers and presented it to the sporting goods department manager of Gibson’s Discount in Springfield, where he was a loyal customer. Gibson’s was located where the Bass Pro Shops headquarters store stands today. “After some time he said, ‘Johnny I’m sorry, but I can’t get permission from my home office to carry these things,’” Morris recalls. “That’s when I went to my dad and approached him about putting lures in his liquor store at 3543 S. Campbell Ave. on the way to Table Rock Lake.” For the first 13 years, this was the company’s only store. Morris’ affinity for the great outdoors and entrepreneurial ethos turned into a significant conservation foundation in the United States.
Now, Morris’ firstborn business venture, Bass Pro Shops, is known globally. What started as a tackle shop in the back of his father’s Brown Derby store has catapulted into a collection of world-class attractions, and it seems like the wheels are always turning—Morris is constantly thinking up the next best thing for the Ozarks. His most recent project, Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, sews together people’s love for nature and music.
“Hopefully, families go there 100 years from now, and they see the same view, the same nature that’s inspirational to people.”— Johnny Morris, Founder of Bass Pro Shops.
For Morris, though, Thunder Ridge was less about creating a music venue and more about showcasing the beauty of the Ozarks, which is what he does best. “Hopefully, families go there 100 years from now, and they see the same view, the same nature that’s inspirational to people,” Morris says. “It’s a slice of the Ozarks where, yes, you can have entertainment, but Mother Nature is a part of the whole experience.” While music will always be at the center of Thunder Ridge, Morris shared that there will eventually be all kinds of events that allow visitors to sink into nature and enjoy matchless views.
Photos courtesy Johnny MorrisShowing interest in fish at a very early age, Johnny plays in a minnow bucket in the front yard of his childhood home in Springfield.
Photos courtesy Johnny MorrisThe original Bass Pro Shop was located inside Johnny’s dad’s Brown Derby liquor store at 3553 South Campbell in Springfield. For the first 13 years, it was the company’s only store.
Photos courtesy Johnny MorrisTogether with his father, mentor and hero, John A. Morris, and Johnny Morris.
Photos courtesy Johnny MorrisFounder of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris is passionate about enjoying the Ozarks.
The 20,000-seat nature amphitheater opened this year with an impressive lineup featuring Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton, Imagine Dragons, Pitbull and even The Rolling Stones, who stopped by Thunder Ridge to complete their Hackney Diamonds Tour. Morris secured The Rolling Stones for the inaugural lineup through his connection with the band’s keyboardist, Chuck Leavell. “He lives in a little town outside Macon, Georgia,” Morris says. “We opened a store there 20 years ago, and he came and played the piano.” After that, he took Leavell on a fishing trip where Leavell reeled in a big one. The friendship stuck, ultimately leading to the band performing at Thunder Ridge in July.
Thunder Ridge is just the latest of Morris’ conservation projects, behind Big Cedar Lodge, Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, Top of the Rock, Finley Farms, Dogwood Canyon Nature Park and 176 Bass Pro retail stores. Morris and his team transformed Big Cedar Lodge into a leading golf destination, attracting professional golfers, celebrities and visitors from around the world to the Ozarks. Top of the Rock was the first of Big Cedar’s courses to open, followed by Buffalo Ridge, Mountain Top and Ozarks National. The newest course, Payne’s Valley, opened in 2020 and is the first-ever public access championship course designed by Tiger Woods.
Photos courtesy Thunder Ridge Arena
Showcasing the vast hillside where Thunder Ridge Nature Arena is located, more than 18,000 attendees filled the arena for the inaugural concert of the season featuring Morgan Wallen in May 2024.
In September, Morris was awarded the highest honor at the 35th Annual Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Banquet and Auction, the Dingell-Young Sportsmen’s Legacy Award. This award honors individuals for outstanding leadership in conservation and preserving hunting and angling traditions—something Morris doesn’t take lightly. Since the emergence of Bass Pro, Morris has dedicated his life to conserving wildlife and habitats, advocating for sportsmen’s rights and connecting people to nature. The company employs 32,000 people nationally, including 4,000 veterans and 6,093 employees in 417-land. Supporting veterans has been a core commitment for Morris. The company donated $3 million to establish a series of memorials at the College of the Ozarks to honor heroes, including a Vietnam War Memorial, Gold Star Families Memorial and Korean War Memorial. He also launched the Helping A Hero “100 Homes Challenge,” pledging to cover the full cost of the first 10 homes and 25% of the cost for the next 100 specially adapted homes for wounded veterans.
Morris is a risk-taker with a pioneering spirit. He developed the Johnny Morris Conservation Foundation, a not-for-profit committed to advancing the cause of conservation. The foundation operates Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail, Audubon-certified Nature Golf courses and the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. Thunder Ridge Nature Arena is also a part of the foundation and directs all proceeds to conservation efforts, protecting the land, wildlife and habitats of the Ozarks. In 2019, Morris received The Audubon Medal, considered by many to be one of our nation’s highest conservation awards; he was only the 58th recipient throughout the 119-year history of the National Audubon Society. “What we’re proudest about today is that over the last decade, our company has given over 10% of our earnings to conservation,” he says. “Most people in the company are very passionate about the outdoors and conservation—it’s a shared passion we all have.”
“I’m a daydreamer. There’s no better place for a daydreamer to start a business than in the Ozarks.”— Johnny Morris, Founder of Bass Pro Shops
Although Morris is an entrepreneur, he is a conservationist at heart. He is one of the United States’ leading advocates for preserving natural habitats and wildlife for future generations to protect and enjoy. He is also passionate about the vital part hunters and anglers play in conservation and safeguarding the Ozarks. “How do we celebrate the role of hunters and anglers, sportsmen and women?” Morris asks. “To me, they are true conservationists of our country, like Roosevelt and Audubon—two of my biggest heroes.” Through their passion, they have spent enough time in the outdoors to realize the importance of habitat and thoughtful regulation, he says.
Fishing and showcasing the Ozarks is more than a vocation for Morris. He’s continually inspired by those around him, striving to give them spaces where they can view the best sunsets, take in fresh air and connect with one another. “417—if there is an area code that says ‘nature and genuine, friendly people,’ you’ve got it right here,” Morris says. “We live in the best place in the world.”
Although we can’t predict Morris’ next move to enhance the Ozarks, we can be sure it will be innovative, timeless and rooted in conservation of this region where he is deeply proud of his Bass Pro Shops team. He acknowledges the pride his team takes in their work and is ever grateful for their support of his big ideas. “I’m more of a daydreamer,” Morris says. “I think there’s no place better for any daydreamer to start a business than in the Ozarks.”
Photo by Brandon AlmsJohnny Morris (second from right) wanted to share the spotlight at Top of the Rock with some of his longest-tenured employees. Clay Self, 35 years of service; Jan Riddle, 50 years of service; and Carol Greene, 44 years of service.
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