By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
When Rhonda Rowland burst into tears at Wednesday’s luncheon, it was for one reason: gratefulness.
Rowland was named Boss of the Year and Donald Higbie of Arctic Cat received the Employee of the Year award at the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Employee Thank You Lunch.
As Chamber Director Tyler Jacobs read through a handful of the 15 Boss of the Year submissions for the honoree, Rowland sat near the front of the room alongside a few of her co-workers. With her back to the front door, Rowland’s family and a number of her Ohio Mutual Insurance Group employees silently filed into Trillium’s banquet room to witness the occasion.
“I worked for other companies and had numerous bosses before working for her,” Jacobs said, reading from a submission. “She made the greatest impact on my life by making me feel truly valued and cared about us both as an employee and a person at a time in my career when I was feeling jaded and unsatisfied by previous work experiences. The years that I’ve worked for her have been the most enjoyable and satisfying of my career. I can’t thank her enough for all the support and guidance she has given me.”
An overwhelmed Rowland buried her face in her hands and began crying as Jacobs announced the Boss of the Year.
“I have never seen such nominations come in for a single individual,” Jacobs said as he encouraged Rowland to celebrate with her family and co-workers.
“I’m just so honored and so blessed,” said an emotional Rowland as she fought to hold her tears in. “I get to go work every single day with an outstanding group of people that I just love with all my heart and respect just so very much. I just want to see them be successful.
“For them to think of me this way – I’m totally blown away and had absolutely no clue,” Rowland said, admitting that she thought she was filling in for another friend. “When my name was announced obviously I was very, very, very surprised.”
Rowland is the Personal Lines Territory Manager for Ohio Mutual Insurance Group.
Higbie was a man of few words, still stunned by the recognition.
“Amazing. Unexpected,” said Higbie, who works as a floater at Arctic Cat, going where they need him.
Higbie, who has worked at Arctic Cat for five years, was credited for going above and beyond his job description, helping to integrate programs, assisting with the Safety Committee, participating in roundtable committees, and serving as a back-up leader for the 5S Facilitator.
“He has proven himself to be very flexible and adaptable in changes to our organization,” one submission read.
Higbie’s wife and parents were in attendance to see him receive the award.
“We hope to continue the tradition, find ways to make it bigger so that the chamber members and the community know that this is a great outlet just to come network,” said Jacobs about the Thank You luncheon.