It was a gala night last Thursday when the Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce held it’s 83rd Annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet at the Benson Center in Clinton.
The fabulous dinner and refreshing drinks were provided by the Dietz Family Buffet and the bar was a service of The Den, both local eateries and establishments. The dinner consisted of chicken breast, beef brisket, potato casserole, green beans and other trimmings while featured desserts included a variety of cakes.
As the emcee for the evening, Chamber of Commerce Director David Lee welcomed those in attendance and introduced the Clinton High School JROTC who presented the colors. Lee’s next introduction was for the Clinton Christian Academy Patriots Performing Arts Club who sang the National Anthem. Joey Conway from Northeast Baptist Church was introduced by Lee to give the invocation for the night.
Many enjoyed conversation throughout dinner but upon it’s conclusion, the crowd applauded speakers, including Clinton Economic Development Director, Mark Dawson; Mayor, Carla Moberly and 2023 Chamber Board President, Adam Cummings.
As outgoing president, Cummings presented “years of service” awards to Kyle Adkins, Larry Dawson, Tim Deskins, Daniel Dody, Bruce Limpus and Jim Smith for their dedication and work on the board of directors.
Major awards presented as part of the program included the Chamber’s Ambassador of the Year Award which was given to Brittany Pickens. The Citizen of the Year was awarded to Gregg Smith, and the Business of the Year for 2023 was presented to TC-Transcontinental.
New this year to the program was the “Olde Glory Days Hall of Fame”. The annual Fourth of July celebration reached it’s milestone 30th anniversary in 2023 and is still going strong. Those honored with the award in it’s inaugural year included David Mills, Tim Glasscock, Dan Wallace, Dave Garnett, Craig Thompson and Jim Martin.
Amber Hansen was introduced as the President of the Chamber of Commerce board for 2024. She spoke to the crowd about her vision and introduced her theme for 2024, “Serve for the Future Generations”.
Tonya Gilley will be the board’s President-elect in 2024 and Cummings is the Past-President. Others on the board include: Kyle Adkins, Steve Bradley, Daniel Dody, Matt Douglas, John French, Sabrina Harris, Jim Huenefeldt, Logan Modlin and Jeff Stone. Adkins and Dody will each serve another 3-year term. Roger House will continue as a board member representing the City of Clinton.
Lee, Dawson and Joyce Carr will all remain in their roles with the Chamber of Commerce.
Perhaps one of the brightest highlights of the evening was the announcement of 39 businesses, individuals, non-profit organizations and more signed up as new members of the Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce.
During her presentation, Mayor Moberly made another big announcement of a development company that purchased 7.5 acres in the Gerhart Industrial Park for a yet to be named client’s project. Scopes of that project included: 1) approximately 70,000-90,000 square feet state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, 2) CAPEX investment of approximately $8-$11 million, 3) 35-45 new jobs over the next 3 years, 4) Average wage rate of $22.00-$25.00 per hour, 5) Preliminary sitework should begin in the next 30-45 days.
To conclude the evening, the Chamber of Commerce gave away tickets to various shows coming up in the next month in Kansas City.
The evening was a great one of networking, friendship and camaraderie, all working to help make a better Greater Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce.
