Chamber Hosts 109th Annual Meeting in Downtown Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Ind. – The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce hosted its 109th Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at the Terre Haute Convention Center. The evening included messaging the theme, “Stronger Together” and examples of how our community is moving forward. Also, three awards were presented recognizing local businesses, individuals and organizations who have excelled in specific areas related to leadership, building business and building community.
This is the first time the event has been hosted in person since 2019.
“Being able to come together in person, and in this new downtown venue, is so meaningful,” stated Kristin Craig, Executive Director of the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce. “We have so much happening in our community right now… downtown development, exciting recreational activities, forward momentum with the See You In Terre Haute Community Plan… there is so much to celebrate, this has been the perfect opportunity to share all the positives.”
Along with presentations from the Chamber, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett also spoke during the event.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of three awards:
Building Business – Sponsored by CenterPoint Energy Company, this award recognizes an outstanding business that has brought significant economic growth to the region. In particular, this award recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit of those who take risks and make investments in time and money to grow businesses and jobs. This year, the “Building Business” award was presented to Garmong Construction.
Garmong Construction was founded almost a century ago by Claude Garmong and has now grown into one of the state’s leading construction management companies. With offices in Terre Haute, Evansville and Indianapolis, they have been ranked three times as one of the Top 25 fastest growing companies by the Indianapolis Business Journal. With project revenue totaling over $200M, Garmong has a vast array of experience in the public safety, municipal, higher education, K-12, healthcare, commercial and industrial sectors; as well as employs over 90 full-time professionals.
While the Terre Haute Convention Center is one of Garmong’s recently completed projects, they also have completed work on several other municipal projects in our region, including the new Terre Haute Police Department and Vigo County Security Center. Additionally, they are under construction with the Vermillion County Jail and Sullivan County Jail. Additional recent projects in our area include West Side Tractor, Highland Retina and Riddell National Bank. Their work extends far beyond the West Central region, with projects throughout the state of Indiana and into Illinois and Kentucky.
Executive Vice President Brian Kooistra accepted the award on behalf of Garmong Construction.
Building Community – Sponsored by Indiana State University , this award is designed to recognize an organization or individual(s) for making significant progress toward enhancing quality of life issues in the West Central region. This year, the award was presented to the Wabash River Regional Development Authority.
Since 2015, this group has captured almost $22 million in state funds to bring quality-of-life projects to the West Central region. The Wabash River Regional Development Authority was established, not just as a funding mechanism, but also to raise the profile of our region and its incredible assets. The group oversaw the regional application for two rounds of state funding, Regional Cities and the READI Grant program. Both of which brought much needed funds to bring quality of life projects into fruition. The READI program specifically will allow for twenty-four projects across the region, including the addition of a hotel in downtown Terre Haute, expansion with all four of our community’s higher education facilities and much more.
Volunteer Chairman of the RDA’s Board of Directors, Greg Goode, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.
Leading Tomorrow – Sponsored by RJL Solutions and the Wabash Valley Leadership Institute, this award recognizes an incredible leader in our community, who is helping our community prepare for the future, particularly in efforts related to the See You in Terre Haute Community Plan. The award was presented to Lori Danielson.
Danileson was recognized for her selfless devotion to the community, willingness to rally for a cause and her gracious donation of her incredible spirit and energy, which she lends to so many local organizations. Just to name a few, she is a current Board Member and Past Chair for Ivy Tech Community College – Terre Haute; Governance Board and Advisory Board Chair for the Indiana Chamber’s Institute for Workforce Excellence; Board of Director and Past Board President of the Vigo County Education Foundation; Western Golf Association/Evans Scholar Foundation State Director; Volunteer for United Way of the Wabash Valley; University of Iowa, Alumni-Student Mentor; member of the Board for Art Spaces and RiverSCAPE; and a Volunteer for Meals on Wheels. And those are just a few of her many, many roles she has served in our community.
Danielson was specifically recognized for her work related to the See You In Terre Haute Community Plan. Since its inception, Lori has been one of the plan’s biggest cheerleaders, serving as Co-Chair for the Quality of Life Pillar . Her work as a strong advocate for education was also recognized.
Although Danielson was unable to attend in person, she shared her words of gratitude with the audience via a pre-taped video announcement.
About the Chamber
Established in 1913, the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce has been and always will be, committed to creating a community that is a great place to live, work and do business. Its mission is Building Business, Building Community.
For more information, contact Katey Earl at kearl@terrehautechamber.com or (812) 232-2391.
