2022 Celebration of Community Annual Awards Dinner

The Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce (OACC) Board of Directors presented an innovative new format for their annual Celebration of Community Awards Dinner Tuesday night, June 21.  The Chevy Network and Serpentini Orrville proudly sponsored the event attended by nearly 150 guests at the Gish Event Barn, Rittman.   

The evening kicked off with an outdoor reception featuring local spirits and entertainment by guitarist Chad Hoffman. 

The awards ceremony was held prior to dinner. Beth Gaubatz, OACC Board member, served as mistress of ceremonies. 

Mayor Dave Handwerk recognized Jim Duxbury as the 57th recipient of the Paul L. Powell Citizen of the Year Award and presented him with a key to the City by Orrville.   

Duxbury acknowledged the Orrville High School Earth Science Club students for inspiring him and gave thanks to his wife, Amy, for her patience with him along the way. 

The Worthy Works Award was presented to Junior Achievement of North Central Ohio by Melanie Garcia, Executive Director, Wayne County Community Foundation.  The award, including a $1,000 grant to assist the organization in pursuing its mission, was received by Tyler Adams, Director of Corporate Partnerships and Jan Maggard, Program Manager. 

“We are so happy to be working with Orrville and Wayne County to better prepare students for their roles as the future leaders of the local business community,” said Adams. 

The Dr. Andrew Naumoff Healthy Habits Champion Award was presented to Wendell and Phyllis Hostetler to recognize their life-long commitment to healthy living, healthy choices and living with good habits personally and publicly. Dave Speicher, Supervisor, Aultman Orrville Sports & Wellness, presented the award on behalf of the Growing Healthy Habits Community Coalition. 

OACC board members, Heather Ogi and Joe Kennedy, recognized Jarrett and The Will-Burt Company as finalists for the 2021 Business Impact Award.  The award was established to recognize an OACC member business for outstanding contributions to the community in the past year. The intent of this award is to recognize those businesses that are making our community a great place to work and to live. 

The Will-Burt Company (WB) was announced as the winner of the Business Impact Award for their employee owners commitment in 2021 to the Christian Children’s Home of Ohio and American Heart Association, Goodwill of Wayne and Holmes Counties and Orrville Salvation Army.   

In addition to giving back to the community, WB is committed to helping their employee owners to learn, grow and thrive through The Will-Burt Academy.  Employees involved in the inaugural “Class of 2021” spent time cross-training in other departments, attended internal senior leadership courses and external educational programs with tuition paid by the company. 

“I am immensely proud to say I work for an organization that is committed to giving back to the community and creating opportunities for its employees to grow,” remarked Michael Hart, Director, Human Resources. 

Richard Lewin, CEO & President, accepted the award on behalf of the company. 

Commendations were presented to each of the award recipients from US Senator Rob Portman, US Congressman Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio Governor Mike Dewine, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Ohio Senator Kristina Roegner and Ohio Representative Scott Wiggam. 

OACC Board Chair, Kristin Endsley, acknowledged Lori Reinbolt for service as Chamber President and CEO for the past nine years.  Ohio Representative Scott Wiggam presented Reinbolt with a proclamation from the Ohio House of Representatives in recognition of her leadership. 

Reinbolt will retire from the Chamber in July. 

A farm to table themed dinner was catered by Buehler’s Fresh Foods.  Gerber’s Farm Fresh Chicken was featured along with locally sourced beef, seasonal vegetables and salads.  Lavender centerpieces, sourced from Lavender Trails in Orrville, were taken home by one lucky guest at each table.   

Guest also enjoyed cookies from Michael’s Bakery and other sweet treats provided by Buehler’s. 

The evening celebration concluded with conversation and yard games. 

Special thanks to Black Circle Sponsor’s, The Will-Burt Company and McElroy Packaging.  Additional event sponsors included Gerber’s Poultry, Bowman Beverage, The YMCA of Wayne County, Spherion Mid-Ohio, Redwood Apartment Homes and Crossbridge Marketing and Media.   

Table Sponsors included Aultman Orrville Hospital, Growing Healthy Habits, Jarrett, The Commercial & Savings Bank, The University of Akron Wayne College, and Wayne County Schools Career Center. 

The Orrville Area Chamber of Commerce is an essential resource for the business community.  By promoting active engagement, the Chamber’s network empowers members to achieve their goals.  Learn more by visiting www.orrvillechamber.com