“2008 was a year that was not without obstacles,” emcee Ron Thomas told a room full of Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce members and guests. “But the community moved forward to not only survive but thrive.”
That spirit was celebrated Friday night as members of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce gathered at Emporia State University of their annual meeting.
The evening consisted of numerous awards, recognitions, laughter and even some live entertainment and concluded with the passing of the gavel from outgoing chairman Richard Garber of PrairieLand Partners to incoming president Joel Phipps of ReMax Select who was down with the flu and couldn’t attend.
Jeanine McKenna, chief executive officer of the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, spoke to the crowd about gratitude.
“Give thanks for everything that happens to you,” McKenna said, adding that each step forward should be a step toward something bigger and better. She also added that Emporia is taking steps forward.
Before passing the gavel to Tracy Edwards, who stood in Phipps’ place, Garber took the time to address the group as board chairman one more time.
“What a great thing to be around all this energy,” Garber said.
Garber said 2008 had its trials and tribulations, especially in light of the Tyson Fresh Meats layoffs in January 2008.
“It’s been evident that we need a positive attitude above all things,” he said.
In light of the economy, Garber gave the following advice.
“We all need to support our Emporia businesses and shop Emporia first as much as possible,” he said.
When Garber took the helm, the Chamber had four main goals for 2008: workforce development; be the voice of the Emporia business community; ethnic diversity; and the image campaign and Emporia Blueprint for Growth. Garber said ethnic diversity took somewhat of a back seat due to the Tyson kill floor shut down. He said the community, however, needs to continue on that path.
Just before passing the gavel, Garber announced he will be leaving PrairieLand Partners at the end of March to join his wife back west, where they own a home and children and grandchildren live.
Garber called for positive action in the Emporia community.
“We are all ambassadors for Emporia each and every day,” he said.
Edwards accepted the gavel for Phipps and read a speech Phipps had prepared. In his speech, Phipps wrote that the members are the lifeblood of any organization. He said an emphasis must be put on attracting new members but an equal importance should be placed on retaining current members.
There’s a lot of value to joining the chamber, Phipps wrote. The value is high visibility, networking opportunities, advertising, being listed on the chamber Web site and serving on committees.
Not everybody, however, sees the many benefits to joining the chamber.
“And that’s OK,” Phipps wrote.
Phipps quoted a study that stated some of the benefits of joining a hometown chamber. Customers are 12 percent more likely to think a company’s products are better among the competitors, are 40 percent more likely to eat at a restaurant that is a chamber member; are 44 percent more likely to be favorable of small businesses who are chamber members and of those are 63 percent more likely to purchase goods from those businesses in the future because of their chamber membership.
The evening also included recognizing volunteers and businesses.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Elvin Perkins. Previous winners include Virgil Basgall and Dan McClenny. Perkins has been a participating member of the Kansas Bar Association and is involved in many community activities. He made his way through the ranks at the Emporia Chamber of Commerce by being a member, director, member of the executive committee and chairman of the chamber. He also has served as a member for the board of directors of Emporia Enterprises and a member of the advisory committee of the United Way and also served as drive chairman.
Perkins served on the Emporia City Commission for six years and spent one of those as mayor. He was one of the six founders of the Emporia Community Foundation and has continued to serve as an officer and board member. He served on the board of directors of the Regional Development Association and now serves on the board of directors of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. He is on the leadership team of the Building Futures Campaign and is chairing the committee on goal three: Allocate city services to effectively fit the needs of the community.
“This is totally unexpected and undeserved but greatly appreciated,” Perkins said after receiving his award.
Perkins said he and his wife came to Emporia in the 1940s because they thought it was a great place to live and a great place to raise their children.
“Everything we have done we have done out of love,” he said.
The Sweet Granada, 805 Commercial St., was named 2008 Business of the Year. In Nov. 2004, mother-daughter team Toni Bowling and Kim Redeker opened up the Sweet Granada, which offers treats to tickle nearly every fancy. Today, 75 percent of the candy is made in-store.
The Sweet Granada has won many awards including the 2006 Emerging Business of the Year award from the Kansas Small Business Development Bureau and the 2008 Outstanding Merchant Award from the Kansas Mainstreet Association.
The Sweet Granada has been featured in Mary Jane’s Farm, a nationally distributed magazine and has received attention from The Emporia Gazette, The Topeka Capital-Journal and Channel 27 KSNT Television out of Topeka.
Sarah Harbaugh, Dave Hendricks and Debbie Ash were named volunteers of the year. Harbaugh is the corporations manager for telephone and closed-circuit television sales at Stutler Technologies and has been involved in many community and chamber organizations and activities.
Hendricks is the director of the Memorial Union. He also has had numerous involvements with the community. Ash works for HASTCO Construction and has a long list of activities and service for the Emporia community.
The Committee of the Year award was given to the Christmas Parade committee. The Christmas Parade is Emporia’s biggest parade and only nighttime parade. It is in its 31st year.