Small business saluted at Chamber event

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Small business is the lynchpin of the U.S. economy and also creates a majority of new American jobs. Small business was also the focus of the Van Wert Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon held Friday at Willow Bend Country Club.

The awards program, now in its 10th year, provides recognition for local businesses with less than 100 employees who are successful at what they do, while also providing support for community activities and projects.

This year’s program honored small businesses and organizations in six categories: Spirit of Entrepreneurship, Ag Business, Charitable Non-Profit, Service Industry Showcase, Retail Champion, Palate Pleaser and Manufacturing Excellence.

Northwest Ohio Welch Trophy, which has grown from three employees, owners Al and Rob Welch and another worker, to 16 employees today, was the winner of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship award. Other nominees included multiple business owners Tim Slusher and Lynn Whitaker, M & M RV Electronics, Dan Gordon Enterprises, The BachWell, and Century Trading.

“You deserve this as much as I do,” Al Welch said of the other nominees. “I go into your stores a lot.”

The Charitable Non-Profit award went to The Marsh Foundation, which was created in the 1920s through a bequest in the will of philanthropist George Marsh. Other nominees were Elks Lodge 1197, the Pregnancy Life Center, Family Health Care of Northwest Ohio, and the Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation, the organization that operates the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.

The winner of the Ag Business category was Mercer Landmark, while other nominees included Scott Equity Exchange, Stoller Farms, Advanced Grain Systems, and Heritage Farm Equipment.

The Service Industry Showcase featured a number of nominees, with Stahl Stoller Meyer Insurance Center winning the award.

Other nominees included Moore Insurance Service, Leland Smith Insurance Services, Wallace Plumbing and Underground, Tisha Fast Insurance Agency and Edward Jones/Trevor Webster.

The Retail Champion winner this year was Laudick’s Jewelry, with Deb Laudick accepting the award on behalf of the jewelry store. Other nominees were Guaranteed Auto, BHS Gun Shop, Humble Bumble, MOD Boutique, and Van Wert Lumber.

The next category, Palate Pleaser, was a favorite of presenter Mark Verville. The winner was Collins Fine Foods, a family business with more than 120 years in Van Wert. Other nominees included Flour Loves Sugar, Wild Willy’s, Gibson’s Barnyard BBQ, Ohio City Express, and Truly D’Vine.

The final category, Manufacturing Excellence, was won by Teem Wholesale, which located to Ohio City after its Van Wert facility was destroyed in the November 10, 2002, tornado. The company has 45 employees involved in millwork operations.

Other nominees were Wannemacher Packaging, KAM Manufacturing, and Kennedy Manufacturing.