10 Most-Beautiful Finalist: Kimberly Steed

Age: 35

Occupation: Business manager for a development and contracting company owned by her and her husband. And restaurant-owner.

Background: Kimberly is from Mountain View, Arkansas, and has been in 417-land for three years. She lives in Branson West with her husband, Jay, and two children, Alexandra and Joseph.

Tell us why you love 417-land.

I really love the people in this area. Everyone is very friendly and outgoing. It has a great small-town atmosphere, but you also have all the amenities of a city. We enjoy all of the activities that are within a short drive of us. We think this is a great place to call home!

Tell us about your community involvement and volunteering. (Please tell us what organizations you’re involved in, what you do to participate and how long you’ve been doing it.)

I am an ambassador for the Table Rock Lake Chamber of Commerce. I get the opportunity to welcome new members and represent the chamber in the community and at chamber-sponsored events. I have been involved with the chamber for two years.

I am commissioner for the Branson West Parks, Trails and Recreation Department. I am very honored to have been appointed to this position because this department is committed to providing quality recreation programs for our residents and visitors. I have been involved with the Parks, Trails and Recreation Department for two years.

The Table Rock Rotary Club is a wonderful organization that I have been involved in for a little more than a year now. The motto is “service above self.” I really enjoy being a part of such a great organization.

I have been vice-president of the Branson West Business Association for one year and have been involved in the association for two years. The Business Association really focuses on business-building-business, which is very important for communities to continue to grow and prosper.

In December 2007, I had the opportunity to open our home for the Neighbors and Friends of Table Rock Lake’s tour of homes. The organization raised more than $25,000 for charities in Stone and Taney Counties.

What makes your community involvement worthwhile?

I am so fortunate to be able to donate my time to these wonderful organizations. I believe that it is important to get involved and to volunteer in your community, even if you only have a small amount of time to give. When you volunteer, you are giving back to your community by lending a helping hand to people and organizations. I want to do something to make a difference.

Hobbies (Go ahead; list them all! And tell us why you love them.)

We are fortunate to live on Table Rock Lake and be able to enjoy all that it has to offer. We spend the majority of our summer on the lake. Alexandra and Joseph enjoy swimming in the lake or tubing and knee boarding on the boat. We have a great group of friends that we spend a lot of lake time with.

The majority of our hobbies involve the entire family and are outside. So when we are not on the lake, we enjoy riding bikes or our four-wheelers. Riding horses is another hobby that we love. Jay and I really enjoy playing golf when we can find the time. Alexandra and Joseph are starting to get involved with golf as well. In the spring and fall, we coach the kids’ soccer team, which is always fun.

In the winter, we usually like to go snow skiing. We took the children for the first time in December 2006. I think they enjoy the snow tubing more than the skiing.

Are you involved in any professional organizations? (What are they, what’s your role, and how long have you been doing it?)

The professional organizations that I am involved in are the Table Rock Lake Rotary Club and the Branson West Business Association. I have been involved in the Business Association for two years now, and I have been involved with the Rotary Club for one year.

What’s something that might surprise us about you? (Or a story you love to tell.)

Something that might surprise you about me is that I was raised on a farm. I had a wonderful childhood and would not trade any of the experiences I had on the farm for anything. My parents, who have been married for 49 years, taught my two brothers, my sister and me great values and respect. I only hope that I can be as good a parent to my children as they were to us.

On March 17 of this year, I had a brain tumor removed. I am so fortunate to be on my way to a full recovery. All of the thoughts and prayers from my family and friends have helped pull me through. I have certainly been blessed with a great group of people who support me.