Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce Vice President, Kristin Craig recaps the 105th Annual Meeting.
You know what they say about change… Will it be easy? Nope! But will it be worth it? Absolutely.
The Chamber staff learned the absolute truth of this adage last week and we pulled together our biggest event of the year. As our usual venue was not available, we had to take a look around the community and find a new location that would serve our needs and allow us to tell our story in a different way.
With a little help from Mother Nature and a lot of help from the folks at the 181 st Intelligence Wing, we were able to host our 105 th Annual Meeting in a hangar at the Indiana Air National Guard base. This turned out to be one of the most unique events I’ve ever had the pleasure to attend and was more than proud to be part of the team that made it a reality.
While the response from all attendees was overwhelmingly positive, the true accomplishment of the evening came from connecting the business community with one of the most critical tasks the Chamber is currently pursuing, advancing defense-related economic development throughout the West Central region. Our host for the evening, the 181 st Intelligence Wing, showed their involvement in the community by recognizing their Honorary Commanders, individuals who work closely with their service members throughout the year. And Danielle Chrysler, Director of Defense for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, drove the point home by drawing a clear connection between the region’s existing military assets and opportunities for future development.
The crowd of over 600 also included several key officials, including: Mayor Duke Bennett, Senator Jon Ford, Representative Bob Heaton, Representative Al Morrison, Representative Jim Baird, 181 st Commander Colonel Chris Alderdice, Commissioner Jon Marvel, Commissioner Judy Anderson and IEDC Defense Development Director Danielle Chrysler, as well as representatives from the offices of Senator Joe Donnelly and Congressman Larry Bucshon.
A special thanks goes out to our Board of Directors, many of whom were in attendance, for their continual support of the Chamber… and in particular, this event. While change is never easy, this group of individuals was incredibly supportive of our new venue and opportunity to try something different with this annual event.
If you were not in attendance, click here to read about our many deserving award winners from the evening. And I would be remiss if I also didn’t thank Hoosier Aviation for allowing us the use of their beautiful, and enormous, vintage plane which served as the centerpiece for our event. If you haven’t seen the pictures from this event, check them out at our Facebook gallery.
On behalf of the entire staff of the Chamber, we thank you, the business community for your support of not just this event, but the mission of the Chamber. Without you, we could not be… Building Business. Building Community.
Kristin Craig
Vice President, Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce
