Insight Accounting Group wins Chamber Award
Goshen Chamber celebrates successes despite tough times
GOSHEN — Vince Turner defines “success” as leaving something better than it was when you found it.
In the 2009 Goshen Chamber of Commerce board chairman’s opinion, leaving the year 2009 with record-high membership in a time when economic forces are against it is just that.
Turner passed on his position of chairman to Denise Davis of Yoder, Ainlay, Ulmer & Buckingham at the chamber’s annual meeting Thursday at the Greencroft Senior Center, where members gathered for lunch, celebrated the year’s accomplishments, gave out awards and presented goals for next year.
“Certainly we have left 2009 — as we go into these last 20 days — we have left this community better than we found it,” Turner said.
Turner pointed to the membership — 577 — as well as other accomplishments, such as picking up the use of social media and filling empty buildings downtown, as evidence of success.
The chamber presented six awards at the luncheon: the Volunteer of the Year Award, the Small Business of the Year Award, the Community Contribution Award, the Goshen Chamber Legacy Award and two Maple Leaf Awards — one for companies with fewer than 50 employees, and one for companies with more.
Chamber vice president Brent Randall said the criteria for the awards “is not only business success — profitability — but also community involvement and innovation in their field.”
Ancon Construction received the Maple Leaf Award for companies with more than 50 employees. The employee-owned company has used green building materials and processes for years and is known for listening to its customers’ needs, said Beth Snow, chair of the Ambassador Committee, when she presented the award.
The Maple Leaf Award for companies with fewer than 50 employees went to Insight Accounting Group. Snow said the firm has been successful in building relationships with clients, pursues cutting-edge technology and employs people who like to give back to the community, as evidenced by the high percentage of employees serving on boards of not-for-profit organizations.
* Sharon Welsh, a Lake City Bank employee and active member of the Goshen Noon Kiwanis Club and the Goshen High School Key Club, received the Volunteer of the Year Award.
* The Small Business of the Year Award went to Quality Tool and Machine.
* Elkhart County Works Together, a grassroots organization that tries to come up with creative solutions to the area’s high unemployment rate, received the Community Contribution Award.
* Tom Stark won the Goshen Chamber Legacy Award, which honors a dedicated Chamber member, for his initiative in cleaning up parts of Goshen and redevelopment plans.
Davis, the 2010 chairwoman, outlined the Chamber’s goals for next year. She said members hope to focus on three initiatives — marketing the community, being aware of and contributing to relevant legislation and focusing on the Chamber’s membership.
