While the venue was a little unusual, officials with the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce were able to pull off the 2021 awards program Thursday night with just the right amount of flair.
Mother Nature even helped by providing clear skies and temperatures that were just about right for a late summer evening in southern Indiana.
The awards were distributed during a program that also featured a drive-thru meal at Aerial Farmer’s large green hangar at Freeman Field in Seymour. The program originally had been set for Pewter Hall in Brownstown, but the venue was changed about a month ago because of an increase in COVID-19 infections in the county.
Chamber Director Dan Robison said during a brief speech that the theme for this year’s event, “A Totally ‘90s Party,” was selected because it’s the chamber’s 90th birthday.
He said the chamber’s roots go back to 1931 with founding of the Seymour Men’s Business Club. It became the Seymour Chamber of Commerce in the 1940s and Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce in the mid-1980s.
Mostly recently, the chamber underwent another transformation and now is known as the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. It’s a name that better reflects the mission of the organization and the community it serves and was the right thing to do in this time of global and regional economies, he said.
Emcee Ray Eakins led the awards portion of the program, introducing the award winners, who included Sasha Norman, winner of the Young Professional of the Year award, and Eddie Murphy, who received the Spirit of the Chamber award.
The Young Professional of the Year is given each year to someone who has made a marked, positive impact on the community, while the Spirit of the Chamber award goes to someone who has demonstrated exemplary dedication to the community.
Norman, who is a member of the chamber staff, was born and raised in Seymour and graduated from Seymour High School. The Leadership Jackson County graduate also is co-founder of Sugar Coated Events, Sugar Coated Candy and Pink Wagon Market.
She also was instrumental in the return of the Jackson County Young Professionals organization, Eakins said.
“Sasha works diligently in recruiting new members, scheduling new and interesting events and working on the continued success of Jackson County Young Professionals,” he said.
Murphy took over national sales for SpaceGuard Products in 2008 and has owned the Seymour-based operation since 2012, Eakins said. The Columbus resident also launched two parallel businesses, National Material Handling and National Rack Repair, earlier this year to expand industrial solutions.
“Eddie is passionate about supporting charitable organizations, particularly those that focus on children, women and minorities,” Eakins said. “He is currently leading the corporate division of the capital campaign for Anchor House.”
The Elementary School Teacher of the Year award went to Linda Hume, who has been teaching at Seymour-Redding Elementary School for 32 years, while the Middle School Teacher of the Year award went to Nathan Owen, who recently started a teaching career as an Owl Tech staff member after spending several years at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, and Cathy Reasoner was named High School Teacher of the Year.
The chamber Business Hall of Fame award for a small business with nine or fewer employees went to Pewter Hall, a banquet hall in Brownstown, while the the Business Hall of Fame award for a medium business of 10 to 49 employees went to Dennis and Blish CPA Group, and Rumpke of Indiana received the Business Hall of Fame award for large businesses of 49 or more employees.
Outgoing board members Kathy Davis, Stephanie Flinn, Gary Green, Andrea Hall and Amy Sutherland also were recognized.
Curtis and Darlene Kaiser, owners of Pewter Hall, and their staff served a catered meal, and the event also featured an auction complete with bidding by car horn.