Chamber honors community leaders and members
By KYLEIGH LASH
Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County
FREMONT – There were more than 200 people in attendance when the Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County presented community wide awards to four individuals, and recognized three Chamber members with awards at its 74th annual awards banquet Jan. 23.
Chamber members receiving the Member of the Year Awards were as follows: Small Business – Pottery Perfection; Medium Business – Kuns Northcoast Security Center LLC; and Large Business – Terra State Community College. These awards are given in recognition of their outstanding involvement in the Chamber of Commerce, their business achievements and community support.
Chris Teague received the Citizen of the Year Award; Robert Mooney received the Award of Excellence; Andrea Gibson was presented with the Clark Ambassador Award; and Annette Overmyer was presented with the Distinguished Service Award.
Chris Teague, owner of Teague Technologies, was presented with the Citizen of the Year Award. He serves at his local fire department as an EMS paramedic and a fire fighter. He has sponsored local fundraisers and events through Teague Technologies and has donated time and custom items for events and programs. Chris is also involved in the community through Sandusky County Young Professionals and through the Chamber of Commerce.
Chris goes above and beyond at his job as a Plant Technical Manager for Ludlow Composites. The nomination form states, “His main desire is to help people, whether that is running fire & EMS calls or simply helping a friend or neighbor. He is an upstanding citizen for Sandusky County.”
Robert Mooney is the recipient of the Chamber’s Award of Excellence. This award is given to recognize an individual not only for professional achievement and community service, but also for actively and generously mentoring others in the attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills.
Robert has recently returned to Fremont with Premier Planning Services Ltd. He is heavily involved in Downtown Fremont events including participating in several farmers markets and attending each Downtown Fremont meeting. He is also a member of Kiwanis.
As a new member of the Chamber, Robert has not hesitated to represent Premier Planning Services by volunteering at the Chamber Annual Golf Outing and serving on the Health & Wellness Committee, as well as attending Business After Hours and Lunch & Learns.
Robert finds passion in educating the community about healthcare. He always maintains a positive outlook in everything he does and brings a smile to all of his clients and people he works closely with.
Andrea Gibson, of Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation, was presented with the Clark Ambassador Award. The Clark Ambassador Award originated in 2002 in honor of the late Ted Clark, who was an enthusiastic member of the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee that supported the Mission, Vision, and Values of the Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County with his time, talents, and dedication.
Andrea serves as a Chamber Ambassador and is also involved in the Chamber through our 75th Anniversary Committee, the joint THINK Workforce Development Committee with SCEDC. She is always willing to help with whatever is needed and can be found volunteering at the Chamber Golf Outing and Chamber business ribbon cuttings, as well as attending several events throughout the year such as our Business After Hours, Lunch & Learns and Holiday Reception.
Andrea is currently the Communications and Project Coordinator at the Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation. In her role she is responsible for bringing the SCEDC’s mission of “improving the economic well-being of Sandusky County” to life by promoting existing business and industry, marketing and project management to bring in new companies to the county and coordinating multiple workforce development initiatives such as the 9th grade THINK Manufacturing Career Showcase and the THINK Sandusky County Junior/Senior Job Fair.
Andrea’s leadership skills also shine through in some of her other work. She is one of the original founders of Sandusky County Young Professionals Group and currently co-chairs the group. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Leadership Sandusky County and Sandco Industries. As stated in the nomination form, “Andrea provides quality leadership, provides information and services throughout the county, is a business advocate, fosters community partnerships and promotes Sandusky County as a place to live, work and play.”
Annette Overmyer, of ProMedica Memorial Hospital, was presented with the Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award is given to someone who, in the day-to-day practice of their profession or vocation, has served the community well, with special considerations to service over and above what other practitioners of the same profession or vocation would normally have done.
Annette has spent more than 39 years committed to ProMedica Memorial Hospital. She started as a food service worker and worked as a physical therapy aide, nursing assistant, linen room attendant, switchboard operator, registration clerk, office coordinator and began supervising the volunteer department in 2000. Despite the various demands placed on her, she continues to go above and beyond all the while maintaining a high personal standard.
She currently manages several departments for her business including Volunteer Services, Voice Operations and Golden Treads. As a part of Golden Treads, Annette, along with key volunteers assist over 1,000 Sandusky County seniors with their Medicare enrollment each year. She also organizes the Senior Expos and Cookie Drop Program, where over 800 packages of cookies are delivered to local seniors during the holidays. She most recently accepted the role of patient advocate. Now each day, Annette visits each inpatient to ensure they are receiving excellent care. According to the nomination form, “Even with her multiple roles, Annette goes out of her way to build meaningful relationships with our volunteers, Golden Treads members, Auxiliary members, co-workers, physicians and most importantly patients.
Annette is also very involved in the community. She was a past board member for the Sandusky County Board of Developmental Disabilities and is currently a board member for the Sandusky County Habitat for Humanity. Each year, she serves as ProMedica’s United Way Campaign Chair for their internal employee campaign. Other county and community organizations she has participated in over the years includes the Rotary Literacy Program, Sandusky County Chapter of Ohio Horseman Council, Sandusky County Senior Coalition, Sandusky County Emergency Management and the Sandusky County Fair.
The Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 2019 accomplishments and provided an outlook for 2020 to their members. In addition, they thanked The Old Fort Banking Company for their support and recognized Board of Trustees and many volunteers. The Chamber welcomed incoming 2020 Board of Brenda Clark, Rob Roth and Jody Solomon. Tim Myers of Century Die Company will serve as Chair of the Board for 2020. The Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County has been serving the Business Community since 1946. For more information call 419-332-1591 or visit scchamber.org.
Kyleigh Lash is program and events coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce of Sandusky County, 419-332-1591, pcoord@scchamber.org.
