Chamber Shares Message of “Moving Forward” at 108th Annual Meeting.
The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 108th Annual Meeting on Thursday evening, with a virtual program via WTHI-TV.
Sharing a message of “Moving Forward”, the half hour program incorporated positivity while urging business and community leaders to continue working to advance West Central Indiana despite challenges, including the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite the challenges, obstacles and adversity that has faced our community, tonight we will celebrate the path ahead. And recognize those who have persevered, continued to dream and worked hard to make great things happen in Terre Haute, Vigo County and West Central Indiana,” said Chamber President Kristin Craig during the program.
Along with presentations from the Chamber, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett also spoke during the broadcast, paying tribute to Detective Greg Ferency, updating viewers on the See You in Terre Haute Community Plan and encouraging citizens to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine. Members of the Chamber Board of Directors also shared screen time, as they spoke about personal connections to the Chamber and how their involvement has shaped their business.
Without a doubt the most anticipated portion of the evening was the suite of awards, with three of the traditional Annual Meeting awards, along with a new award for 2021, the “Moving Forward Award”.
The first award of the evening, sponsored by RJL Solutions and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, was presented to Vanessa Li, Process Leader with Novelis. Li, who was also recognized as one of the 2020 12 Under 40 Award winners, not only advances the work being done at Novelis, but also spends her free time empowering young girls through STEM education.
I am humbled and grateful to receive this award,” Li says. “My passion is really about introducing STEM to girls and young women and underrepresented students to spark their interest to explore and build confidence in pursuing their dreams. This recognition also has a broader meaning to me, it is less of a personal recognition but a confirmation that our community recognizes the importance of diversity and inclusion and supporting this cause.”
Next, the Chamber, along with award sponsor Indiana State University, recognized Mark and Tiffany Baker of 3 Sisters Investments for the work they have done within the city’s 12 Points neighborhood. The award is described as honoring an organization or individual(s) for making significant progress toward enhancing quality of life in the West Central region.
The couple, who named the business with their three daughters in mind, serve on the 12 Points Revitalization committee, and have also offered affordable rent for small business owners in the Parq at 12 Points Building and the 8-12 Building, both of which are owned by the Baker family.
We are so honored to receive the Building Community Award from the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce and Indiana State University,” says Tiffany Baker. “We strive to inspire community members to dream and then to make those dreams a reality. We can live in a world we design. West Central Indiana is growing and we are so thankful to be a small part of the group leading change in the region.”
The Building Business Award sponsored by CenterPoint Energy is described as an award presented to an outstanding business that has brought significant economic growth to the West Central Indiana region. The 2021 Building Business Award was presented to Brampton Brick.
Not just an advocate for their own success, Brampton Brick successfully led the charge in changing the state’s rules surrounding weight limits at the state legislature. The new rules, which went into effect on July 1st of this year, have greatly benefited not only Brampton and Indiana’s other brick producers, but every industry around the state which deals with shipping of heavy materials, including steel… making all industry in Indiana more competitive nationally and even internationally.
“Thank you to the Chamber, our partner RJL Solutions and the legislators for supporting this legislation,” said Brampton Brick Plant Manager Chris Egge. “It was obviously very important to the growth of our company, but many others across the state.”
The additional award of the evening, the “Moving Forward” award was used to recognize a group that took a huge risk and leap of faith during the pandemic to produce a great asset to our community. The owners and operators of The Mill, Tim and Kelly Drake were honored with the award.
“We felt that Tim and Kelly needed to be singled out for all the work they have done this year,” Craig said. “Regardless of the timing, what they did was huge and a wonderful addition to the community. The Mill will bring tourism to West Central Indiana and serve as a great venue for local residents.”
The Moving Forward award is something that really means a lot to us,” says Kelly Drake. “There were many times that we felt like giving up because of the circumstances that we all faced last year. I’m proud of this award because we were not only able to pull through an extremely tough year, but to also continue to grow within this community no matter what obstacles come our way.”
Craig concluded the evening with more positive comments about the direction of the business community and the entire West Central Indiana region.
Craig said, “Although the work of the Chamber is not always easy to define, take it from those who shared their thoughts this evening… we are working hard every day to make our community, and region, a better place to live, work and do business.
