Luap & Lasandra McKeever Focused On Making A Difference in McDonald County

By Don Lowe

Simply helping others and finding ways to support wide-ranging community events and companies across McDonald County, where they proudly call home, is incredibly important to Luap McKeever and his wife, LaSandra, while they strive to be differencemakers.

“Giving back gives a sense of satisfaction and purpose,” Luap assured. “It may not be a big deal to the giver, but the person or persons we help, with even the small things, can make a world of difference. ‘It’s better to give than receive’ comes to mind. “I also enjoy being on multiple director boards, which allows me the opportunity to offer feedback, perspective and direction on specific goals. There are few things more satisfying than seeing a goal come to fruition and knowing you had a small hand in it.” The McKeevers have a hand in Mountain Happenings, which they founded in 2018, and Luap shared how it all began: “While reminiscing on the older days of the 1970s and how the entire community of Mountain would gather every weekend for a potluck dinner, music and games, we decided to kick something off again. “My wife and I started as a lone entity and have seen steady growth over the years. It’s now an incorporated 501c3, where we serve on the board of directors. “Any given Saturday, you’ll find anywhere from 20-40 vendors and hundreds of people from all over the Four States coming to our little corner to shop local products. The basic premise is: Local products only with minimal rules and completely free vendor setup, fun and camaraderie.” As for what has made this work so well, Luap said, “The people make it successful. All we do is promote it, prepare the area, set it up and offer products for sale. The people (customers) do all the rest. I enjoy the feedback regarding a sense of community. “We keep it operating solely from donations and a few small Mountain Happenings-branded merchandise items. This model has proven successful and recently, other communities/venues began asking for our help with similar markets. It isn’t about competition. We believe ‘the more the merrier.’ What’s good for this county is good for everyone.” While he wants his own various works to succeed, Luap is focused on assisting others who have taken similar paths and said, “I’ve been running small businesses for a long time and understand their challenges. Helping promote small businesses became a passion for me. “There are a lot of people that don’t understand the importance of small businesses, yet they are the first ones solicited for charitable donations, prizes, sponsorships, etc., for community functions. “Our county is fully funded from sales tax. So, to increase our sales tax revenue, we must educate citizens on the importance of shopping in our county whenever possible so the 2 percent local sales tax stays here. Urging people to shop locally is the single best way for citizens to give back to their community.” In pondering his drive to help, Luap said, “I like dabbling in many things. ‘An open mind opens many doors.’ I like learning, researching, analyzing and teaching. I enjoy helping get something going and then moving on to my next venture.” Of course, with every good work, there can be obstacles. “The biggest challenge is probably time. Deep down, you wish you could just snap your fingers and make it happen, but you must continue to work at it. “Knowing that I might be making a little bit of a difference is the thing that makes me most proud. Whether making a difference in one life or many, I believe deep down most people want to do exactly that – make a difference.”

Luap McKeever FAST FACTS

Age: 52 Spouse: LaSandra McKeever Children: Alicia Hawkins (30), LeAndra Peters (30), Kristyn McKeever (26) & Hunter Bruce (23) College Alma Mater: North American School of Conservation & Community College of the Air Force Degrees: Wildlife and Forestry Conservation & Munition Systems Specialties High School Alma Mater: McDonald County Favorite Subject: Science

Corporate Employment: Coordinator of Technical Services at SAMS Club, Inc. (1996–2001) & Team Leader, Information Systems Service Center with JB Hunt Transport, Inc. (2001–2006) Small Business Owner: • Ozark Computer Works, LLC (1126 N. Walton Boulevard, Bentonville, Arkansas. Phone number 479.268.4068 and website www.OzarkComputerWorks.com) • Mountain Happenings (Located at 10289 E. State Highway 90, Pineville, Missouri. Vendors range from arts and crafts to farm goods and everything in between) • McKeever Mountain Farms, LLC Fruit, Vegetable and Honey-Bee Farm (Sell organic peaches, produce, jams, jellies, salsas, raw honey and beekeeping supplies, as well as custom floral arrangements, wedding/birthday cakes and small tractor/dirt work for those customers with jobs too small for big equipment) • Own and operate www.Wildguzzi.com (The world’s largest Moto Guzzi Motorcyclespecific website with more than 10,000 members worldwide. The bulk of Wildguzzi is used for the discussion, which connects all members together. Discuss issues, modifications, enhancements, sales, etc., in relation to the motorcycles)