Awards Received at the 2020 Iowa Tourism Conference
Iowa Tourism Award Winner: Mahaska Drug & Jane Nicholson
The Iowa Tourism Office and the Travel Federation of Iowa presented 26 awards recognizing excellence in the tourism industry at a ceremony in Des Moines on March 3 during the 2020 Iowa Tourism Conference. Awards to both metro and rural areas were made in 13 award categories.
The Mahaska Chamber & Development Group is excited to announce that two awards came home from the ceremony. These awards included Mahaska Drug as the Outstanding Retail Experience and Jane Nicholson as the Outstanding Individual Leader. Tourism is the act and process of spending time away from home in pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure. Mahaska Drug fulfills this definition of tourism. It is a store but so much more. It is a pharmacy, a shopping destination, a seasonal produce shed and a local ice cream treats trailer — SnoBiz, in the summer. Mahaska Drug is relaxing while shopping their elegant Christmas trees during the holidays, pleasing while eating their shaved ice cone in the hot summer sun, and entertaining while playing on their donated oversized yard games during the city band summer concert. Mahaska County and the community would not be the same without Mahaska Drug. This store supports so many initiatives.
“If I had to choose one word to describe Jane Nicholson it would perhaps be ‘outstanding’. Jane is truly an outstanding individual and leader in our community. Nicholson supports so many initiatives community-wide, it is impossible to capture,” said De Groot of the Mahaska Chamber. Here is another comment which helps describe Jane’s outstanding self:
“There are only a few people one will meet in their lifetime who are loved by an entire community. Jane Nicholson is one of those people. Jane is an optimistic, genuine person who truly cares about her employees and treats them like family. Jane’s business, Mahaska Drug, fills a retail and pharmaceutical need in our town. We go to Jane because of the total experience she provides – samples of ice cream, the ‘dip of the day’, homemade cookies and apple cider- all offered cheerfully as soon as we enter. Her delight in serving customers rubs off on all her employees. We shop with Jane because she buys local, and she supports many of our kids’ teams & community causes in a big way. For most business persons, one flag subscription from the Optimist Club would be enough to show support. Jane ordered five! She supports our local school & university with stocking logo apparel. Weekly, she has a full page ad in our local newspaper, promoting not only Mahaska Drug’s sales, but pointing out events happening in the community. It is easy to see why she was once named Oskaloosa’s Citizen of the Year in 2013, and we wish she could be nominated every year. Her generosity seems to know no limits, and we, her community, are grateful to have her here.” – Sandy Bailey, MidWestOne Bank, Market President.
Nicholson continues to grow and support tourism by growing her business, Mahaska Drug, and community events. Jane sits on numerous committees in the community, supporting these events financially with her time, resources and staff. She is a unique and outstanding individual who is always thinking outside the box to draw more people into our community. Congratulations to Mahaska Drug and Jane Nicholson on your awards! Below is a list of winners from the Iowa Tourism Conference.
