(BLOOMINGTON) – The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce held its 105th Annual Meeting and Community Awards this afternoon. Instead of the usual friendly confines of the Monroe Convention Center, this year the Chamber took the proceedings to Zoom® with a new approach.
“We’ve all heard this time and time again over the last 6 months, but this has been an unprecedented year for many reasons,” said Erin Predmore, President & CEO of the Chamber. “Here at the Chamber, we are glad that we have been able to be a resource for our members through this time, and we are so grateful to still have opportunities like our annual meeting to connect with you, even if only virtually.”
The virtual luncheon offered attendees an overview of The Chamber’s year, highlighted by their tireless work for the community during this pandemic. However, the event was not just about looking back, but also emphasized expectations for the coming year. Erin Predmore, President & CEO, recapped events and news from 2020 and highlighted some of the new endeavors, based on local conditions, that the Chamber has taken on. These included a frequently updated COVID resource website, a Back to Business Conference, Black-Owned Business Affinity Group, the distribution of community PPE, and leading the community in such endeavors as sending out Tiger Teams of experts to help small businesses and most recently spearheading the Hoosier Safe Six campaign.
“We stand by our motto of Better Business, Better Community always, especially in times like this when the business community needs support now more than ever,” said Erin Predmore.
Outgoing board chair and owner of FASTSIGNS of Bloomington, Mike Richardson, called the meeting to order, and noted his gratitude for the Chamber staff and his fellow board members during his time as chair. He also kicked off the Community Awards ceremony, honoring a variety of business owners and community leaders from the past year.
Richardson later officially passed the gavel to Cindy Kinnarney, the incoming board chair for the Chamber and the Regional President of German American Bank. Kinnarney presented the final awards for the afternoon and adjourned the annual meeting as her first action as board chair.
The Chamber recognized a number of honorees during the awards portion of the event. The 2020 Community Award honorees included:
- Ambassador of the Year – Pamela Boswell-Dike
- New Business of the Year – Consider It Done Transition Services
- Lloyd Olcott Community Service Award – Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington
- Success School Golden Key Award – Tom Figolah
- Nancy Howard Diversity Award – The Mill
- Community Anchor Award – Monroe County YMCA
- Morgan Hutton Visionary Award – Stride Coalition
- Diane Breeden-Lee Catalyst Award – Efrat Feferman
- Young Professional of the Year – Amanda Paikos
- Woman of the Year – Connie Ritchie
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Jack Harlow
The Chamber would like to extend a special thank you to the event sponsors and virtual table sponsors of the Annual Meeting. Event sponsors included Cook Group, Indiana University, IU Health Bloomington, The Herald Times, BKD CPA’s & Advisors, Bloomington Health Foundation, Bunger & Robertson, Cassady Electrical Contractors, The City of Bloomington, Duke Energy, German American Bank, Hoosier Energy, IU Credit Union, RE/MAX Acclaimed Properties, Rogers Group – Rogers Group Investments, and the Monroe County YMCA.
The Chamber would also like to recognize members at the Elite and Chairman levels – Cook Group, CFC Properties, IU Health Bloomington, IU Credit Union, Catalent Biologics, First Financial Bank, Indiana University, and Old National Bank – for their membership.
Additional photos and videos from the Annual Meeting and Community Awards may be found soon on the Chamber’s website – ChamberBloomington.org.
