Tuesday, September 02, 2025
Mountain View Meats has been serving up the same recipe of smoked sausages to the Stilwell community for three generations, having become a community staple over the years. Today, owners Mike and Kayla Phelps and their daughter, Courtney Talbot, carry on the tradition while embracing the growing world of e-commerce sales, where rising demand has brought both new opportunities and new challenges.
“As we expanded and our sales began to tick up, that created an urgent need for increased production,” said Courney Talbot. “Thanks to Ozarks Electric coming alongside us and showing their support, we’re able to purchase a new oven in our smokehouse that will allow us to increase our capacity and keep up with the expanding demand.”
Through its partnership with Associated Electric Cooperative, Ozarks Electric was able to connect Mountain View Meats with the Power 4 Progress program, which provides grants to help local businesses modernize operations and expand their workforce.
“We believe the Power 4 Progress program will help members upgrade equipment, expand their workforce, and increase production,” said Kris Williams, Ozarks Electric’s Director of Energy Services.
To Courtney, Kayla and Mike, the grant represents more than just a new oven. It’s a chance to strengthen their commitment to Stilwell and Adair County.
“It would make a lot of sense, business-wise, to move to a more metro area,” said Talbot. “But for us, Stilwell is home. We love being able to create jobs in our community because we understand that’s very important in such a rural area. And so that’s just one of the many things that keep us local.”
For Mountain View Meats, the impact is clear: a family-owned business rooted in tradition is now positioned to thrive well into the future without ever having to leave home.