Chamber unveils ambitious cooperative plan
Annual dinner features awards, comedy, and music
By Bobbi Mlynar
Friday, January 18, 2008
The stage in Webb Lecture Hall was a busy spot Friday night for the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner.
The Chamber unveiled a strategic plan, said goodbye to outgoing board members and welcomed new ones, and presented special awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award to Dan McClenny.
Liz Martell, accompanied by Cynthia Patton, sang “The Lord’s Prayer” before the meal, and Lee Schroeder was master of ceremonies for the celebration. The Emporia State University a Cappella choir, directed by Terry Barham, wowed the audience with two numbers stacked with harmony, perfect attacks and glorious dynamics.
Jon Geitz, outgoing board chairman, presented a recapitulation of the year’s accomplished and introduced the new “Blueprint for Growth for Emporia.” Geitz passed the gavel to Richard Garber, who talked about how the plan would be utilized.
Garber is the manager of Deer Trail Implement, which will become Prairie Lane Partners John Deere in February, as the result of a merger.
The plan evolved from the Keystone Committee, President Chamber and Chief Executive Officer Jeanine McKenna said during an interview.
“It was really with their blessing and their financing that we started saying, ‘Let’s move forward,’” she said.
The Chamber is leading the cooperative drive that includes the City of Emporia, Regional Development Association and Main Street. McKenna hopes to get more entities involved.
“This is truly a community campaign,” she said. “... We’ve been trying to get away from the image campaign because people have been thinking that image is just marketing, and what’s wrong with our image? This is more.”
The plan is made up of nine goals for the Emporia area that were shown as part of a PowerPoint presentation during the program Friday night:
-- significantly enhance how Emporia is thought of by citizens, guests and others connected to our community
-- create new high-skill jobs that provide very competitive wages
-- allocate city services to effectively fit the needs of the community
-- expand the culture, dining and retail services available
-- enhance the housing availability
-- strengthen the services and community partnerships in order to enhance the educational opportunities available to people in any walk of life
-- improve and increase the recreational opportunities available
-- increase tourism
-- facilitate growth in the population
“It’s a five-year action plan to grow the community to a new level as far as amenities, jobs, recreation — just ways to get people connected to the community,” McKenna said.
The sesquicentennial was a prime example of community involvement, she said, from the exceptional public attendance at the events to the 5,000-plus hours of work volunteers put into the celebration.
The sesquicentennial committee, in fact, received the Committee of the Year Award. The committee, led by co-chairpersons Evora Wheeler and Ron Slaymaker, also was made up of Sue Blechl, Joyce Davies, Helen Ericson, Doug Ford, Belle Grimsley, Vanda Hall, Nancy Host, Greg Jordan, Berneice Kelley, Joyce Kennedy, Carolyn Kuhn, Carol Marshall, Liz Martell, Armida Martinez, Jo Mouse, Barb Newell, Kayla Oney, Blaise Plummer, Yvonne Pool, Ed Rathke, Angie Schreiber, Ron Thomas, Eilene Thornton, Marjorie Werly and Melissa Windsor.
McKenna, who twisted her foot and had been on crutches earlier in the week, strolled barefoot through the crowd Friday evening, carrying a pair of silver-sparkled strappy high heels.
“They do make the outfit,” she joked from the podium.
The Schumann family — Gerald and Orinne, their sons and daughter, in-laws and grandchildren — filled half of the stage when Gerald Schumann Electric Inc. received the Business of the Year Award.
Gerald and Orinne Schumann started the company in 1975, after Gerald’s boss (and cousin) suffered a debilitating stroke. Gerald was preparing to start his first day on the job at IBP (now Tyson), when he learned that a $6,000 loan had come through from Lyon County State Bank to buy a truck and start up their own electric company. Stanion Wholesale Electric Co. gave the couple a line of credit for material. Since then, they have done nothing but grow.
Now, three generations of Schumanns work for the company, which has 13 employees, compared to only two in 1975.
The Schumanns also have given much of their time to local organizations. They are active within the Messiah Lutheran Church and have been members of Emporia Main Street since the organization was formed in 1991. Orinne Schumann has served on the Design Committee since 1991 and has been a volunteer with Birthright since 1978.
Gerald Schumann Electric has been a member of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau since they started the business.
Former Lifetime Achievement Award winner Virgil Basgall, who will be 96 this month, was scheduled to present the achievement award. However, he was not able to attend because of the slick streets and sidewalks. Instead, Greg Bachman presented that award Friday night to Dan McClenny, who had not been told he would receive the honor.
McClenny long was in charge of human resources for Didde Corp. and has been a continuous member of the Chamber since 1959. He has been deeply involved in church, county and city issues and the Chamber, at both the local and state levels.
Trophies for “Volunteer of the Year” were presented to Russ Bonitatibus, senior vice president and commercial/agriculture lender at Lyon County State Bank, and Beth Wilson, co-owner of Thurson’s Plus Autobody & More.
Tom Webb of TV Skyline, USA, received an award for serving two terms on the Emporia Enterprises Board and one year as chairman for the organization.
Members of the executive committee of the Chamber’s 2008 Board of Directors will be Joel Phipps of ReMax Select Realtors, chairman-elect; Stacy Burkdoll of Pool & Wright, treasurer; Joe Pimple of Sauder Custom Fabrication, Nancy Horst of Emporia Public Schools and Charlotte Pinick, all vice-chairmen; Geitz of Edward Jones, past chairman of the board; and McKenna.
The board also will be made up of:
Rodger Brownrigg of Tyson Fresh Meats, Steve Brosemer of GeoTech, Dean Hollenbeck of Flint Hills Technical College, Brian Lewallen of Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing Central, John Mallon of Polo Fields, John Muckenthaler of Muckenthaler Inc., Jesse Solis of Elbert’s Liquor, Wayne Symmonds of Frontier Financial Partners, Eric Thomas of Moon Abstract Company, Tom Thompson of Lyon County State Bank, Jim Williams of ESU, Melissa Windsor of Emporia Arts Council and Barbara Wry of Emporia Pet Foods.
The annual dinner committee, which planned and executed the event, was made up of Bob Burenheide of Modern Air Conditioning, Richard Garber of Deer Trail Implement, Jon Geitz of Edward Jones, Dave Hendricks of Emporia State University’s Memorial Union, Elaine Henry of ceramics: Art & Perception magazine, Debbie Irsik of Makin’ Waves, Bre Johnson of Navrat’s Office Supply, Peggy Maxfield of Beauti-Control, Charlotte Pinick of Emporia RV Park & Campground, Shiela Steinkuhler of George Groh & Sons, Frannie Walburn of Walburn’s Athletic Club, Brent Windsor of Hopkins Manufacturing, and chairperson Debbie Ash of HASTCO Construction.
Dave Dishman entertained the crowd between presentations, and Kelly Maxfield’s DJ Service provided music at the dance afterward at the Emporia Country Club.