Due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing the community from meeting in person for the Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce’s biggest event of the year, the annual dinner and awards ceremony was held virtually Monday as the chamber released a prerecorded video highlighting members of the organization and announcing the award recipients.
“Gone this year is the social networking, the cocktail reception, the silent auction, the beautifully-decorated tables, the funny videos, and the onstage recognition of our members and community members,” Chamber President Holly Quaine said during the video. “But this year, in this abbreviated version, we’ll be thanking our outgoing leadership, introducing our incoming leadership, and also recognizing some awards truly deserved in this difficult year.”
Four awards were given, including the Innovation in Business Award, which recognized every school district in the county for their work during the pandemic. Buckeye Valley Local Schools, Big Walnut Local Schools, Delaware City Schools, the Delaware Area Career Center, and Olentangy Local Schools were all joint recipients of the award “for their epic ingenuity in providing our local students with academics, meals, support and so much more under overwhelming circumstances,” a press release for the event stated.
“Collaboration and innovation touched every aspect of the complicated processes of fulfilling the responsibilities of educating our county’s k-12 students,” Chamber Chair-Elect Brad Schneider said during the presentation.
He later added, “Congratulations to all of our local superintendents, and thank you again for all of the incredible efforts by you and your teams to make this school year as best as possible for all the students in our community.”
The Delaware Public Health District received the chamber’s Quality of Life Award for its work during the pandemic, which Schneider said mitigated the impact of the virus throughout the county.
“The Delaware Public Health District’s mission to promote, protect, and improve the health of the community was certainly tested in 2020 in unprecedented ways,” Schneider said. “While the health district has always faced many public health challenges in its history, it remained at the ready. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated to the community how truly prepared it is for anything.”
In the private sector, Cummins Facility Services and Domtar Personal Care rounded out the recognition by taking home the Small Business of the Year and Large Business of the Year awards, respectively.
As part of the video, the chamber sent its best wishes to five board members who are stepping down after having served their term limits. Those members include Scott Cubberly (Equity), Denny Friermood (Honda Marysville), Andy Wecker (Manos, Martin & Pergram), Glenn Marzluf (Del-Co Water Company) and Dusty Hostutler (Dusty Hostutler Edward Jones). Combined, the five members served 24 years on the chamber board.
Three new board members were welcomed in Kirt Trimble (Trimble Insurance Agency), Kim Saunders (Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Outpatient Care Lewis Center) and Tamra Bower (Polaris Fashion Place).
In addition to the changes on the board, it was announced that Zach Price, of Triad Architects, will be stepping down as the chairman of the board, although he will remain on the board. Aric Arnett, of Ohio Living Sarah Moore, will serve as the board chair this year.
