BUCYRUS—On the evening of November 18th, over 100 people came out to Pickwick Place to celebrate the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce and its 96th Annual Dinner and Awards Banquet. This serves as the organization’s annual member meeting. The evening consisted of networking time, a charcuterie board judging contest, a picnic basket dinner, and soup buffet, a silent auction, a reverse raffle, and a 50/50 drawing. This year’s sponsors were Park National Bank, Honey Creek Wind, and Firelands Federal Credit Union.
The first of this year’s award recipients were John Kennedy and Dr. Donald Wenner, both past recipients of the Citizen of the Year award, as Posthumous Citizens, Bill Kahle, and Becky Lutz as Volunteers of the Year, and Nate Smith as Young Professional of 2021. John and Doc were both Kiwanians and pillars of our community. Their legacy will continue to make a better Bucyrus for decades to come. Bill Kahle gave a touching tribute speech about his friends, John and Doc, before being surprised with his own award. Bill and Becky, both Kiwanians were honored for their community service. Bill was chairman of the committee for the “street of flags.” He also volunteers in a soup kitchen, delivers meals on wheels, rings bells for the Salvation Army, and is involved with the Knights of Columbus and American Legion. Becky has been instrumental in coordinating every parade in Bucyrus for the last five years. She helps with an afterschool program and advocates for children and adults with disabilities. She flies under the radar and likes to make others look good while not taking any credit for herself. Nate Smith has managed the pro shop at the Golf Club of Bucyrus for the last 8 years. He started the Junior Golf League by himself and has increased sales in many areas.
“Nate’s passion for the Bucyrus Golf Club is unmatched. He is constantly thinking of how he can help the course improve and continue to be a destination that golfers want to come to. It is a blessing to have an employee take an ownership role in a business the way Nate has over the last few years.”
Next, the staff of the BACC surprised Chamber director, Jessie Furner with a Boss of the Year award.
“I was touched that my office girls gave me this award. I am so fortunate to have the staff that I do. We work hard, we laugh, we cry, and we execute, all for the betterment of the local business and greater Bucyrus community. Every employee not only cares for their work but for each other. The warmth we share makes coming into work, sometimes 7 days a week, enjoyable. We are a rockstar team, and it’s thanks to Deb Cameron (office manager), Lexi Lyons (administrative assistant), Laura Weir (digital consultant), and Hailey Ameling (marketing) that the Chamber has grown and will continue to thrive.”
Veronica Hildreth, Chamber Board Vice President, gave a report updating attendees on recent successes and future initiatives, citing that the BACC has added 82 new members since December of 2019.
The next award was given to Alexa Kamenik and ARK Realty. Alexa was honored as Entrepreneur of the Year. She became a Realtor in 2014 at 21 years old, and just 2 years later passed her Broker’s exam. ARK Realty was born. For 5 years, ARK Realty has been providing excellent customer service to buyers and sellers in Crawford and Ashland counties and beyond.
Long overdue, Baker’s Pizza was recognized as Business of the Year. Opening in 1998, Baker’s has graced the homes and stomachs of hundreds of thousands of people and created jobs for the Bucyrus area. People come from all over Ohio and beyond for Baker’s. Owners Breck Baker and Connie Smith give credit to their loyal employees and customers.
“Bakers deserves an award just for that baked potato pizza,” claimed Furner. “I worked at Baker’s as a delivery driver in the first few years of operation. Breck was an incredible boss. He valued my opinion and showed me respect, even though I was 20 years old. He is a natural leader and great supporter of the Chamber, as well as many children’s and other charities.”
Amanda Sheets, former director of the North Central State College Success Center, came to the stage to give the Success Center their award for Organization of the Year. NCSCSC is the only higher education facility in Crawford County. They have an expedited LPN program, where students can earn their license in under a year. They offer scholarships and encourage anyone to stop in and talk about how their educational goals can be achieved.
Another long-overdue award was presented to the Bucyrus Public Library also as organization of the year. For over 100 years, BPL has enhanced and enriched Bucyrus area literacy efforts. They were the first library in the State to distribute COVID-19 tests. While offering just under 3000 COVID tests to our area, the library came up with a creative way to connect with their customers. To-go art projects and curbside service are just a tiny sample of what the library offered during the stay-at-home order. Their youth programming is as extensive as it is diverse. Between anime club, Dungeons & Dragons club, movie and board game nights, there is always something going on at the library. Stephanie Buchanan and Erin Rhodes, Director and Assistant Director graciously accepted their well-deserved award.
Kelli Patterson, Rhonda Rowland, and Randy Fischer were onsite representing not only their member businesses but also the Bucyrus Bicentennial Committee. The B2 Committee is hosting Religion Heritage Day and the NYE Gala. Kelli and Rhonda spoke on legacy projects planned to enhance Bucyrus for another 200 years.
The evening was rounded off with the unveiling of “Come Home to Bucyrus, Bicentennial Edition” the Bucyrus Area Chamber’s new 60-page publication.
“Not realizing what an undertaking it was, we decided to completely revamp the community guide from previous versions. We worked incredibly hard on this magazine, and what you will find is a fresh, forward-thinking publication that welcomes people to come visit our area, fall in love with the natural beauty and close-knit community, and put down roots here,” says Furner. “It was a great way to close the night. I can’t wait to see these books all over the place. If you see one, snag it up and take a peek. Then share it with a friend from out of town.”
The next Chamber event is Candlelight Christmas on December 2nd from 5-8. FCBank will sponsor an ice-skating rink on the square, and Wise Funeral will provide Victorian carriage rides through the town. Downtown businesses will offer refreshments and stay open late for holiday shoppers. Area Churches will be set up in the Schine’s Art Park, and the Bucyrus Browns Backers Club is sponsoring a “Poker Walk” to raise money for the club and support downtown businesses. The BACC welcomes anyone to bundle up and enjoy Candlelight Christmas or any of their events. For more information, check out bucyrusohio.com or visit the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.