The Crawfordsville/Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce recently recognized 11 award recipients at its annual dinner and business of the year awards program. Dinner was hosted at the Crawfordsville Country Club, where member businesses enjoyed an evening of networking over great food and heard a special keynote message from Barry Schrock of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
Outgoing board members Steve Zachary (Carpenter Realtors) and Tim McCormick (NFP Insurance) were also recognized for exemplary service to the organization. Zachary and McCormick each served multiple terms and worked on many different committees and projects over the years, shaping the Chamber to be the successful organization that is today and making an impact the community at large.
Business of the Year award recipients are selected based on peer member nominations and reviewed by a celebrating member achievements committee. These organizations, businesses, and individuals all contribute to the vibrant business community in Crawfordsville and Montgomery County in their own important way. Recipients are as follows:
• Large Business of the Year: Banjo Corporation
• Small Business of the Year: Brothers Pizza Co.
• Lew Wallace Entrepreneur of the Year: Healthies – Crawfordsville
• Community Organization of the Year: Trinity Life Ministries
• Champion of Change: Jill Knowling, Walmart Optical Lab
• Woman of the Year: Sue Lucas, Crawfordsville Main Street
• Rising Star: Young Professional of the Year: Jim Johnson, Fusion 54 Co-Working Studio
The final awards of the evening are brand new and honor a special profession within the Chamber’s membership and our community. These awards were created with sponsorship from Duke Energy. Emerald Educator awards will recognize one outstanding educator in each of the three Montgomery County school corporations annually who make a significant impact on their students, school, or profession. They demonstrate leadership and innovation, or creativity. In the inaugural year for these awards, with input from our county superintendents, we would like to celebrate the work of all Montgomery County educators for their amazing dedication to the success of their students and creativity demonstrated throughout the pandemic.
Recipients are as follows:
• Elise Israel and Megan Oppy of North Montgomery Schools
• Jamie McCormick and Curtis McVay of Southmont Schools
• Jenny Hesler and Anita Harris of Crawfordsville Schools
WCDQ Country 106.3 FM interviews with each award recipient as well as keynote speaker Barry Schrock and Chamber Director, Cassie Hagan, can be found on the station’s website at: https://www.wcdqfm.com/crawfordsville-montgomery-county-chamber-of-commerce-business-of-the-year-spotligthts.
Awards were created by member business, Topline Athletics. Centerpieces were created by Kelly Shannon, Fresh Cut by Shannon Family Farms.
