The Fredericktown-Madison County Chamber of Commerce held their 2008 Annual Awards Banquet, entitled “A Night of Stars,” at the Fredericktown Eagles Lodge Aerie 3758 on Friday, January 30, 2009.

New Era Bank’s assistant vice president Paul Hale Jr. started the evening’s agenda with a welcome speech. Then, First District Commissioner Dennis Bradford lead everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance followed by  Dave Ward presenting the Invocation.

Keynote speaker was District 156 Representative Shelley Keeney (R-MO). Keeney gave an update on her first few days in office. As a newly elected state representative, Keeney said she has been very busy with the orientation tours of many of the operations of Missouri’s government such as a tour of the state’s crime lab. Keeney said she has been appointed to the appropriations  for crime prevention and public safety committee, and has been appointed as vice-chair of the crime prevention committee. She is also on the tourism committee, and financial institutions committee.

She told the chamber audience of the House vote to stop any pay raises for the legislators this term. Keeney said they just did not feel a raise was appropriate at this time with so many people struggling in today’s economy. The audience responded with a round of applause. Keeney’s Capitol Report can be read each week in the Democrat News.

After dinner, Chamber President Kathy Kurtz recognized the outgoing board members; Conita Follis, Kenneth Pierce and Rick Polete.

Executive Director Christina Mattingly then recognized and presented the oath of office to the new 2009 board members: President Kathy Kurtz (Real Estate Professional Sales), Vice-president Michelle Francis (The Flower Box), Treasurer Stephanie Farmer (Ozarks Federal Branch Manager-Fredericktown), Paul Hale Jr. (New Era Bank), Dave Ward (Wards Farm Supply), Melisa Pritchett (Real Estate Professional Sales), Erica Cooper (Balance Hair Studio), Heidi Steck (Safe Harbor Hospice) and Marquand Mayor Denny Ward .

The Board of Directors created some new recognition awards and presented them at this banquet. Included in the new awards were: The Vision Award, presented by Paul Hale to Bening Ford, Black River Electric Co-op, Cedar Creek Hardwoods, Interim City Administrator for Fredericktown Jim Dismuke, Country Mart, Covenant Care, Filtration Products, First State Community Bank, Home Care Nursing, John and Deborah Rauls, Kemp’s Auto Body, New Era Bank, Sargent's Construction, Schnapp, Fall, Silvey and Reid, and Seabaugh's Furniture.

The Outstanding Community Involvement Award, was presented by Kathy Kurtz and awarded to AmeriCorp VISTA workers Shanna Sorg and Kate Cox.

The Helping Hand Award, was presented by Michelle Francis awarded to Jason Brewington and Darin Brown.

The Community Dedication Award, was presented by Marquand Mayor Denny Ward to Nina Carlton.

Preserving the Past Award, was presented by Dave Ward to Carole Magnus.

The Great Ambition Award, presented by Denny Ward to Ron and Kay Durso of Durso Hills Winery.

The evening also had the usual recognition awards including the Super Service Award, presented by Anne Debold from B-104 Radio to Carol LaChance.

“Carol LaChance, a lifelong  Fredericktown resident, grew up the youngest of nine children. She and her husband Terry met while they both worked for Black River Electric. They soon married and raised two children, Jenny and Randy; and this year they celebrate their 40th Anniversary. In 1981, Carol went to work for the Fredericktown High School as a secretary and assistant to the principal. She spent the next 24 years getting to know the many students, and parents, that came through the doors of FHS. As secretary, she was known to many as friend, mentor, counselor, and sometimes even nurse. (While working at FHS) Carol always had a genuine care and concern for the students, and always took extra time and effort to help those who needed extra guidance. To many parents, she was the link between them and their children, often going above and beyond to help. She retired from the school district in 2005, but this didn’t slow her down.”

“ She took on new adventures, including working for Hallmark at our local Wal-Mart store, and also clerking to Steve Dees, a local auctioneer. And, assuming she wasn’t busy enough, Carol decided to run for Public Administrator for Madison County, and was just elected to the office in November. Carol has always enjoyed helping others. She can often be found taking a meal to someone who is sick or giving a hand to an elderly friend. Her generosity is well known and she is an asset to our community.”

The 110% Award, presented by Jessica Hampton of KTJJ-KREI “The Boot” Radio to Denny Ward.

“By many, he’s been called ‘the person to call on.’ He’s been called “the best” by everyone we talked to, he’s always answering a question, sharing information, picking up something for someone, or simply lending a hand...because it is the right thing to do..”

Just one short year ago, the Fredericktown Chamber of Commerce became the Fredericktown and Madison County Chamber of Commerce. One of the driving forces behind this idea was Denny Ward. As Mayor of Marquand, Denny realized the importance of a strong driving force to help improve his beloved community. Denny has been a key (person) in the Citizens Realizing Our Potential (C.R.O.P), served on the Marquand-Zion school Board, been instrumental in obtaining block grants to install historically based streets and cobbled sidewalks in downtown Marquand, and instrumental in other restoration projects such as the Sitzes Homestead, the Historical Park, and the Homan Building and Hall, construction of ‘The Gallery; a home to local artists, and the replica of the Buckhorn School that houses a restaurant in the Village of Marquand. Denny stays busy helping to see that these restored buildings and put to good use. The restored Homan building houses two antique and curio businesses-Aunt Kay’s Antiques and the Reagan Hotel Antiques. Homan Hall  is the site of cultural events such as dinner theaters and concerts with national and local artists that is developing quite a group of followers. As you can see when listing reasons why Denny Ward deserves our 100% Awards, it wasn’t hard to come up with them. In fact... it was hard to keep the list short enough to fit into tonight’s awards ceremony. LuAnne Moyers said it best when she said, “You could have not picked a better person for the award.” KTJJ-KREI Radio Station Manager Kim Long seconded the sentiment and added that “Denny is a great guy, Fredericktown and Madison County is lucky to have him on their team. He is a great friend...to all.” “

The Distinguished Community Service Award, presented by Alan Kopitsky of the Democrat News to Karen Fulton.

“Each year, the Democrat News is fortunate to present the Distinguished Community Service Award. The other newspaper staff members and I brainstorm for a little while, and we select someone who we feel has assisted the community a great deal in one or more areas. Then as we do a little research on the person we are always amazed at how much he or she has really done. This year's recipient is no exception.

She was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, where she met her husband. The couple were married in June of 1975 and moved to Madison County a month later. She taught grade school in Greenville, Missouri until 1978. They then moved to Columbia, South Carolina, as she worked to put her husband through law school. The couple and their two children returned to Madison County to stay in 1980.

She began doing volunteer work with various local clubs and organizations in the 1980s.

She was a member of Friends of Music, and is a member of the Eta Eta Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. She is also a member of the Friday Club, and a Charter member of the Lioness Club.

She owned a Florist business for three years and was active in the Fredericktown Chamber of Commerce, culminating with her election as Chamber Board Vice President.

She remains very active in St. Michael Church and is involved in many of its activities. Last, but not least, tonight's recipient works as a volunteer and tireless a fundraiser for the Madison County Food Pantry. I know this firsthand, because, on more than one occasion, I have taken her picture accepting a check on behalf of the food pantry.

For her nearly 30 years of work benefiting Fredericktown and Madison County, it is my great pleasure to present the 2009 Democrat News Distinguished Community Service Award to Mrs. Karen Fulton.”

The Unsung Hero Award, presented by Julie Kline of the Madison County Crier newspaper to  City Public Works Director Kenny McDowell.

“After beginning publication late last year, the Madison County Crier made the decision to honor a local deserving resident with an award that would be given at the annual Fredericktown-Madison County Chamber of Commerce Banquet. While discussing what type of award we would give, we talked about the awards and honors that are currently given by other organizations and decided that though community leaders and volunteers are often recognized, there are many in our community that do an extraordinary job at what is their regular employment but are many times unrecognized publicly for their efforts. We decided that our award would honor those unsung heroes and therefore our award is called the ‘Unsung Hero’ Award.”

“ The first recipient of our award is a life-long resident of Madison County. He and his wife Mona have raised three fantastic children: Tracy, Ryan and Travis. He began employment with the City of Fredericktown in 1981 as an equipment operator. In 1989, he was promoted to foreman and in a 1991 was promoted to head of the Sanitation Department. In 2006, because of his exemplary performance, proven ability as a leader, and willingness to go above and beyond to get the job done, he was promoted to Director of Public Works. Whether it is making sure everyone’s trash gets picked up during a holiday week, helping with whatever a group might need to put together one of the many local festivals, or making sure that Fredericktown streets are cleaned after a snowstorm faster and more thoroughly then most other towns, our recipient always makes sure that the job is done as well as it can be, no matter how many hours he might have to put in to do it. Most of you in this room probably have a story or two about a time when our recipient has went out of his way to help, even if it wasn’t in his job description. The recipient of this year’s ‘Unsung Hero’ award is Kenny McDowell.”

And the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Kathy Kurtz to New Era Bank.

“The Beginning.”  “At 9 o’clock Monday morning, July  16, 1934, New Era Bank opened for business amid optimism that the problems of the Great Depression were in the past. A third of all U.S. banks failed to make it through the Depression and to restore public confidence in the nation’s banking system, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating the Federal Deposit Insurance Cooperation (FDIC) in 1933. New Era Bank opened for business in the building formerly occupied by the Bank of Fredericktown at East Main Street and South Mine LaMotte Avenue. The Democrat-News reported on July 12, 1934, “The opening of the bank is expected to inaugurate a considerable stimulus to business.” At opening, New Era Bank reported assets of $412,325.”

“The Growth”

In 1959, New Era Bank President L.D.Whitener and the Board of Directors hired local hatchery and feed business owner, Robert “Bob” E. Green, to work at the bank. Bob quickly took on more responsibility as he became a member of the Board of Directors, and was later appointed President upon the passing of Mr. Whitener in 1966. Over the years, the name Bob Green became synonymous with New Era Bank. Bob’s constant effort to see that the bank provided top quality personal service to its customers distinguished his leadership. Bob remained affiliated with New Era Bank until his death in 1996. In 1983, Bob’s son Steve joined the New Era Bank as Executive Vice-president and, six years later, became the bank’s third president. Under Steve’s leadership, the bank expanded its operations North to Farmington when it purchased the St. Francois County Savings and Loan in January, 1996. Four years later, in 2000, New Era Bank became a part of the Park Hills community with its acquisition of Heartland Bank.”

“Today”

New Era Bank continues today under Steve’s leadership, as he is now Chairman and CEO. Mike Burcham of the Park Hills area became New Era Bank’s fourth president in 2004. New Era Bank’s top priority remains providing unsurpassed personal service. Bolstered by experienced staff, New Era Bank enjoys a reputation for being one of the area’s most knowledgeable and friendliest places to bank. Even in today’s trying economic times, New Era Bank continues to grow and expand using traditional, time tested business practices and the experiences of its management and dedicated employees. Today, New Era Bank has total resources of 260 million dollars and the bank has received the highest rating from Bauer Financial and TheStreet.com for safety and soundness.”

The Business of the Year Award, presented by Paul Hale, awarded to Kenneth Pierce, CPA.

“The Business/Person of the Year we (are) honoring tonight has done much to help this community both grow and prosper. This person was born in Seattle, Washington where his father was stationed in the Air Force. They moved back home to the Jackson, Tennessee area soon after he was born. He married Judy 33 years ago and they have ten children and four grandchildren, and a 5th on the way. He went to the University of Tennessee-Martin after he was married. He was licensed as a CPA in March, 1983 and has been practicing ever since. His first tax work in Missouri was with Maloney, Wright and Robbins in Farmington. Then, in 1996, he opened his business in Fredericktown where he has been ever since. He has taken a lot of time out of his inordinately busy schedule to serve on the Electric Committee for the City of Fredericktown, and also assisted the chamber by serving on both the chamber board, and the Vision Committee. The Vision Committee’s main goal was to help find ways to help the chamber grow and he was instrumental in helping hire the Chamber Director. In what spare time he has, he likes to build model ships. I have been lucky enough to work with this person on several of those committees, and know how much dedication he has to whatever cause he is working for. That is why it is with great honor that we recognize Kenny Pierce as out Business/Person of the Year.”

Each person or organization receiving an award also received a proclamation from the Missouri House of Representatives, presented by Shelley Keeney.

The chamber also spoke about their outlook and goals for 2009. Mattingly and Kurtz said the plan on having a trivia night on March 7.

A chili/soup dinner and home show are planned during the year.

They went on to say they will be holding the City-wide yard sale once again; This year it will be on Azalea weekend.

A fireworks festival is planned as is a home show.

The Chamber’s annual golf tournament is scheduled for September 8th. All events are subject to change and anyone interested in more information should call the chamber.

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