Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010
Chamber hosts annual dinner
Emily Jarrett, Journal Staff
Emily Jarrett, the Journal
Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce president, Lara Vermillion, awards Art Phillips, of McCamm Management, with the business of the year award during the annual chamber banquet, held Jan. 29.
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closeThe Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce honored local business leaders Jan. 29 during its annual banquet. Teaming up with business to score was the theme of the dinner, with local businesses and business owners honored for their work with the chamber.
Debrah Weilbacher, with Business Assistance, was named Connector of the Year. Connector of the Year is chosen by the group of chamber connectors and best exemplifies what a connector should be – reaching out and showing the spirit of the chamber, said Lara Vermillion, chamber president.
McCamm Management, which owns several McDonald’s locations in the metro area, was named Business of the Year, Brien Starner, with the Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation, was named Business Person of the Year and Bill Essmann was named Citizen of the Year. Essmann was nominated by St. Mary’s Medical Center and is a member on the St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation Board.
Essmann was also a previous chairman of the board for the chamber and currently serves on the Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Other nominees for citizen of the year included Darlene Jones, Jim Finley, Mary Potter, Rachel Powers, Dave Wright and Chuck Zuvers.
After awards were presented, Kyle Jones, 2009 chairman of the board, took a few minutes to remind those in attendance about the chamber’s accomplishments throughout the year.
“We’ve had a great year,” he said. “We had 19 graduates in our leadership program and started Operation Connect to pass out our chamber directories. We had our biggest Fall Fun Fest ever, recruited 77 new members and had 18 ribbon cuttings.”
Jones also noted the chamber’s budget. “It’s a lot more fun to work on the budget when we’re in the black,” he joked.
Before he ceremonially passed on the chairman’s position to Ryan Fry, Jones told the crowd he was proud to serve as the 2009 chairman.
“I have a positive outlook leaving this position,” he said. “And I hope I left it better than when I started. I think that should always be the goal for future chairs – to leave it better than when you got it.”
Fry told the crowd his goals for 2010 include increasing awareness of the Buy Blue Springs Program, increasing membership and “increasing the relevancy and respectability of the chamber within the community.”
“Without our membership we couldn’t be a chamber,” he added. “And I believe the chamber must be held accountable to that membership.”
“This chamber is full of good people who truly care about their community,” Vermillion said. “In Blue Springs, when we set our minds to something and work together, we make things happen. I hope to continue that tradition in the next year.”
To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@bluespringsjournal.com.
