Adel Partners, the city’s Chamber of Commerce, held its first members’ banquet Tuesday night, with about 125 people attending the dinner and awards ceremony at the Park Place Banquet Hall.
Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger was the after-dinner speaker, regaling the jovial crowd with stories of his 50 years writing about small towns throughout Iowa. Offenburger encouraged the Adel business community to work together toward continued success.
The granting of the Annual Chamber Awards closed the evening’s festivities.
“Adel is a growing and thriving community in large part because of our great local businesses and strong base of volunteers,” said Adel Partners Executive Director Karina Ward, who handed out the honors. “The awards provide an opportunity to honor a few of those businesses and individuals.”
Rich Hughes was named the 2014 Volunteer of the Year for his years of organizing the corn tent during the Adel Sweet Corn Festival.
“Rich loyally helps out behind the scenes and is well-deserving of this award,” Ward said.
The Business Improvement Award was given to Adel Family Dentistry for “their investment in the Adel community and its continued growth.”
“Erin and I were humbled and honored to receive the Business Improvement Award at the First Annual Chamber Banquet,” Dr. Kelly Sedars said Wednesday. “When we took over Adel Family Dentistry in 2003, it was a small, part-time dental office operated as a satellite clinic by dentists from Des Moines. Our practice has grown tremendously since then, allowing us to more than double our staff and to invest in a beautiful, state-of-the art facility. We are proud to offer the very best in technology and equipment right here in Adel.”
Sedars also praised his clinic’s staff members for contributing to the success of the dental practice.
“Our practice is blessed with a wonderful team who work diligently to provide excellent dental care in a fun and relaxed environment,” he said. “We are thankful for the support that we have received from the Chamber and the City and appreciate their efforts to improve the business climate in Adel. We love being a part of this community and look forward to many more years.”
The 2014 award for Business of the Year went to Adel and Winterset TV and Appliance “in recognition of their substantial history of success and positive impact on the community,” Ward said. “As one of Adel’s oldest businesses, they continually go above and beyond to meet the needs of their customers. Since opening in 1960, the business has continually grown and expanded over the past 55 years. The Chapman family is well-known in Adel for their contributions to the community,” she said.
Ward also had praise for the organizers of the banquet. “The members of the planning committee worked hard to plan a memorable evening that both celebrated the Chamber’s recent successes and offered an opportunity for new and prospective members to get acquainted with the Chamber and our members,” she said.
Ward singled out the event’s sponsors for special thanks. Sponsors were Eric Schepers State Farm Insurance, Lincoln Savings Bank, Peoples Trust and Savings Bank, Raccoon Valley Bank, River Valley Insurance and Russell Abstract and Title.
She said several businesses donated time, services or products for the event, including Fareway, Harvey Floral Company, Horizon Printing, Iowa Beverage Systems and Raccoon Valley Radio.
“These local Adel partners made it possible for the chamber to make the first annual dinner a wonderful experience and something to look forward for next year,” Ward said.
