Perry’s commercial classes gathered Tuesday night at La Poste for the annual Perry Chamber of Commerce awards banquet and Fourth of July pie auction.
About 150 Chamber members and guests — a jump of 40 on last year’s attendance — networked over cocktails before tucking into a buffet dinner catered by Harvey’s at Hotel Pattee.
Travis Landgrebe of Fareway, president of the Perry Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, welcomed the commercial community to the 2019 awards banquet and introduced the Chamber Board of Directors: Vice President Eileen Splendore of the Raccoon Valley Bank, Treasurer Mark Powell of Finneseth, Dalen and Powell PLC, Immediate Past President Emily Leslie of the Backwards Boutique and Directors Andrew Brommer of Edward Jones, Lee Coons of the Raccoon River Valley Bicycle, Shawn Kenney of the Raccoon Valley Radio, Macinzie McFarland of the Dallas County Hospital, Sven Peterson of the city of Perry, Matt Rohe of the Hy-vee, Clark Wicks of the Perry Community School District and Lisa Widick of the Perry Chief.
Landgrebe yielded the microphone to Kenney, who reviewed what he called “a year of successes” and touched on the Chamber’s accomplishments last year and its ongoing projects for this year.
Chamber Executive Director Lynsi Pasutti then briefly spoke about her first year in Perry as the Chamber’s point person. She numbered the 16 ribbon cuttings hosted by the Chamber in 2018 and said her aim is to exceed that number in 2019.
Pasutti introduced Widick, who announced the award winners, beginning with the Ambassador of the Year Award. The award is new this year and is presented to the Chamber Ambassador “who has shown great dedication to the organization over the past year through their attendance and volunteerism at Chamber events,” Widick said.
Nominees for the 2019 Ambassador of the Year were Joe Cerwinske, Zack Cregeen, Courtney Straker and Misty Stout Von Behren. The award went to Stout Von Behren for her “advocacy of and dedication to the Chamber, as well as countless volunteer hours for various events,” Widick said.
The Jack Finneseth Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award celebrates an individual who best embodies the spirit and passion Jack Finneseth had about volunteerism. Nominees for the 2019 Volunteer of the Year were Lee Coons, Jenny Eklund, Lois Hoger, Emily Leslie, Matt McDevitt and Von Behren. The award went to Leslie for her “energy, involvement, commitment and dedication to improving the Perry community,” Widick said.
The Spirit of Perry Business of the Year Award “celebrates a business that best embodies the spirit of the Perry Chamber of Commerce and the Perry community by serving as an example to others through their leadership, service and commitment,” Widick said.
Nominees for the 2019 Business of the Year were Backwards Boutique and Backwards Properties, Betsy Peterson Designs, BTWI, the Hotel Pattee, Hulgan Plumbing and Heating, the Perry Perk, the Perry Community School District, the Perry Chief and El Tren
The 2019 Business of the Year award went to Hulgan Plumbing and Heating for “going the extra mile for their customers and providing round the clock service as well as for many community sponsorships and donations,” Widick said.
A pie auction for the chamber’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration followed the awards ceremony, with auctioneer Dr. Tom Burkgren’s good-natured ribbing and cajoling helping to raise the bids in support of Perry’s Sesquicentennial celebrations planned for July.
“I don’t actually have final numbers just yet,” Pasutti said at the conclusion of the auction, “but I know we raised more than $4000!” The annual fireworks display costs about $15,000.
