SHELBY, Ohio – Shelby’s Kehoe Center hosted the 117th Annual Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Meeting & Dinner Thursday night, and used that meeting to unveil a new brand for the organization, review the year, and award some of its members.
The crisp, modern logo and brand was the result of an 18-month collaboration between designers at Fake Plastic of Mansfield and Lantz Star Graphics of Shelby. It was widely applauded as a tremendous improvement and long overdue.
The logo was inspired by a kaleidoscope which looks different from every angle, according to Chamber president Jodie Perry. “It’s many small parts that make up one whole, and it’s something that is dynamic and connected. We know that the Chamber is something different to every member, and each member is distinct yet part of the whole. Our tag line of ‘Strong Business. Strong Community’ isn’t just descriptive of our area, it’s designed to communicate the Chamber’s dual focus of business and community.”
Outgoing board chairman John Brown of Richland Bank reviewed 2015, which he said yielded growth in almost all areas. The organization boasted 80 new members in 2015, with total membership at nearly 1,000. The Chamber’s signature events in 2015 either “broke attendance records or boasted the largest turnout we’ve seen in recent years.”
The Chamber also handed out awards to several members.
Representatives of the Richland County Foundation were given the Extraordinary Leadership Award for their collaborative work in economic development over the course of 2015. Brady Groves of the Richland County Foundation, John Roby of Roby Foster Miller Earick Insurance, and Beth Delaney of Spherion Staffing were the award recipients.
The Athena Award, which honors a woman employed in the local area who demonstrates exceptional leadership in support of advancing the professional goals of other women, was given to Melanie Riggleman of Gorman-Rupp. Riggleman was nominated alongside of Mary Bolin of My Town Partners and Liz Prather of Richland New Hope.
The Chairman’s Award, the evening’s top honor, was given to the recently retired President of Mechanics Bank, Deborah Schenk. Schenk was visibly surprised at the attention, something many noted was not something she ever sought during her tenure at Mechanics and before that, Bank One.
Schenk was nominated by John Brown of Richland Bank, who noted that though their companies competed with one another in the business arena, he had great respect and admiration for Schenk’s leadership and involvement in the community.
