Wells County Chamber hosts annual dinner and awards program

By HOLLY GASKILL

The annual dinner and awards program sponsored by the Wells County Chamber of Commerce Monday made evident how the community stands together — and by the end of the evening, it did so in a round of applause.

The evening marked the 110th for the Chamber and honored the Citizens of the Year, Educators of the Year and Business of the Year.

Citizens of the Year were Jeff and Jamie Lemler, who own and operate Thoma/Rich, Lemler Funeral Home in Bluffton. The two were introduced by their dear friend, Jessica Bricker, who works as the communications specialist for Bluffton-Harrison schools. Bricker had also nominated them for the award, accompanied by letters of recommendation from multiple community leaders. 

Jeff and Jamie Lemler were honored as Citizens of the Year by the Wells County Chamber of Commerce during the annual awards dinner and awards program Monday night. Pictured left to right are Braden and Macy Lemler, the couple’s children, Jamie Lemler, Jeff Lemler, and Jessica Bricker, who nominated the couple for the award and introduced them during the program. (Photos by Sydney Kent)

In addition to the service of their business, the Lemlers have been deeply involved in numerous organizations, supporting local programs, events and individuals. Bricker concluded, “Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for endorsing what has been known all along — that it’s people like Jeff and Jamie who make this community a great place to call home, raise a family and invest in. And that it’s always worth it to be kind, compassionate and generous, like the Lemlers.” 

In their separate speeches, Jeff and Jamie Lemler expressed a shared gratefulness for each other and the community. 

Kevin Pritchard of Ruoff Mortgage was honored as the Chamber of Commerce’s Ambassador of the Year. Pictured is Chamber Executive Director Erin Prible and Pritchard.

Jamie led, describing how choices impact the community. Jamie explained how every day provides opportunities to help one another and brighten each other’s day, but it’s a choice to do so. She challenged the audience to consider the little moments where they can spread kindness and goodness, creating ripples within the community.

Jeff followed, connecting their lives to the Matthew parable of the seeds in different types of soil. “There’s nothing special about the Lemlers,” he said. “However, this community — this soil — that our seeds have been planted has made all the difference in our lives, in our families, and in our activities.” 

Educators of the Year from the Wells County districts were, from left, David Butler, Mark Weinert, and at right, Jim Bueter. Awards were presented Sydney Sheltz-Kempf, the granddaughter of Mike Sailsbery, a previous Norwell superintendent who continues to support the awards. Sheltz-Kempf is also a former student of Weinert.

He continued, “It has been an amazing adventure, and I guarantee that as long as the adventure goes, we are not done.”

Valero Renewable’s plant manager, Mark Brown, echoed a similar community-oriented sentiment in Valero’s recognition as Business of the Year. As shared Monday night, Valero has 65 employees at the plant, which produces renewable energy products. Over 80% of the corn used at the plant comes from within a 50-mile radius of the plant.

According to Brown, over 2,500 pounds of food were collected for the Backpack Program in just one week, in addition to numerous volunteer hours. The company has also made significant donations to several nonprofit groups and local initiatives, including more than $320,000 donated to United Way of Wells County since 2019. 

“We’re more than just a company, we’re your neighbors, your friends and your partners in progress,” Brown stated. “At Valero, we firmly believe in the principle of being a good neighbor and giving back to the community.”

Valero Renewables of Bluffton was the recipient of Business of the Year. Pictured are representatives from the company, left to right, Amos Wayman, Dennis Addington, Kimberly Barger, Mark Brown, Dawn Donnelly, Bruce Snyder and Roger Sherer. (Photo by Sydney Kent)

Each Wells County district honored its own Educator of the Year — Jim Bueter from Bluffton-Harrison, Mark Weinert from Norwell and David Butler from Southern Wells. The three were introduced by Sydney Sheltz-Kempf, the granddaughter of Mike Sailsbery, a former longstanding superintendent at Norwell Community Schools whose family continues to support the awards. Sheltz-Kempf also shared a special connection to one of those honored — she took high school chemistry from Weinert and later obtained several higher education degrees in areas of science.

Also during the evening’s festivities, Kevin Pritchard of Ruoff Mortgage was honored as Chamber Ambassador of the Year.

Chamber Executive Director Erin Prible and Economic Development Executive Director Chad Kline also highlighted the accomplishments of 2023. According to Kline, $20.3 million had been invested into Wells County in 2023, and 94 jobs had been created. 

Additionally, the Chamber added 46 businesses for a total membership of 465. There were also many ribbon cuttings and multiple groundbreakings of new developments.

holly@news-banner.com

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