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MACC recognizes community leaders, gives awards at annual dinner

By James Dobbs 5 min read

Hundreds of people gathered in Marietta College's Dyson-Baudo Recreation Center for the 108th annual Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce dinner Monday evening.

The event featured a meal prepared by Parkhurst Catering, an award ceremony and keynote speaker Jared Orton, Savannah Bananas Team President.

Kelsy Eaton president and CEO of MACC said there were over 650 people in attendance at the event. Eaton went on to highlight the chamber's successes over the past year.

Over the past year the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce has: hosted 17 ribbon cuttings for new businesses, business expansions and business anniversaries; hosted 45 different events where members could network, learn and have fun; and increased attendance at events.

"But we won't be resting on our laurels, we'll continue to look for more opportunities to help you and help support our business community in Marietta as a whole," Eaton told those attending the dinner.

Gary O'Brien, MACC board chairperson, thanked those in attendance and spoke about Marietta's community.

"This community is great, and I really believe that people in bigger cities do not understand what Marietta is about," said O'Brien. "This community is so giving, people lend a hand when needed, and it's just a very, very special place."

O'Brien announced Tina Adams, former board treasurer, would be taking over as the new chairperson. Adams thanked the members for their impact on the community and said the chamber would not be successful without their support.

Eaton invited Emma Hartline, Waterford High School FFA student, to the stage to present the Washington County Council of Cooperatives Agricultural Award. Chuck and Diane Hicks, of Hicks Farm, received the award. The Hicks are Warren High School graduates who started their farm by buying four acres of Washington County land in 1982. They grew their farm to 325 acres, which possesses 100 acres of corn, 225 acres of soybeans and nearly 100 head of cattle. The Hicks also won the 2018 Ohio Conservation Family Award.

Sharon Coffman, Zonta Club of the Mid-Ohio Valley president, presented the Elizabeth L. Hadler ZONTA Woman of the Year Award. Charlotte Wagner, who is the longest-serving 4-H volunteer in Ohio, received the award. Wagner is a Lowell native, who has served her community through 4-H for over 75 years. She started as a member at the age of 9 and continued after she graduated out of the program at the age of 19. She was inducted into the Ohio 4-H Hall of Fame in 2019 for her service.

Ken Strahler, of Ken Strahler Masonry, who received the Gabe Zide Citizen of the Year award last year, presented this year's award to Colleen Cook, attorney at Theisen and Brock. Cook is a Marietta High School graduate who went on to earn her bachelors degree from Ohio State University in 1979. She continued with legal education at OSU to earn her Juris Doctor degree. She specializes in labor and employment law. Cook has served as a trustee of the Memorial Health Foundation for 40 years, serves on the board of trustees for Memorial Health Systems and has been a member of the Marietta Rotary Club for 35 years. She also volunteers yearly with the Samuel R. Cook Safetytown in Marietta, a program created to teach children going into kindergarten safety skills. It is incredibly important to Cook as it carries on her father's legacy.

Cook said it's easy giving back to a community like Marietta, especially when you've had role models like her parents.

Chuck Sulerzyski, president and CEO of Peoples Bank, who received the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year award in 2022, presented the 2023 award to the Wetz Family, of Wetz Companies. Wetz Companies is a network of companies that provide logistic services. The company has been serving the area for over 75 years.

Tag and Dee Wetz, and their sons Evan and Derrick, accepted the award together.

The business was created in 1939 by three brothers, Norman, Francis and Roy O. Wetz.

"It's been truly a family business," said Evan. "There's not too many family businesses in the local community anymore."

Jared Orton, keynote speaker, shared the three important things the Savannah Bananas do in business every day during his presentation.

Savannah Bananas is an exhibition baseball team founded in 2016, that is based in Savannah, Ga. Orton began his work with Fans First Entertainment while completing his Sports Management degree at Belmont Abbey College. He went on to work with the Grizzlies, Savannah's sister team in Gastonia, N.C. He now develops entertainment experiences for Savannah's fans.

"We had one mission and that was to make baseball fun and for people to leave at the end of the game and say 'that was the most fun I've ever had at a baseball game,'" said Orton.

Orton explained that the baseball team follows three principles: loving your fans, loving your people and loving yourself. He said that businesses should build a base of fans instead of customers, because fans support your business and tell others how you supported them.

Orton said loving your people means supporting your employees and recognizing them for their achievements. He explained that loving yourself is one of the most important parts of the process, because if you don't love yourself how are you supposed to love those around you.

"How are you supposed to pour into other people and impact the organization in a positive way if you are not taking time to grow, develop, and learn," he said.

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