GREENE – Every year, Commerce Chenango honors local businesses for their contributions during the Salute to Small Business Dinner and Awards Banquet. The celebration takes place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at The Silo Restaurant in Greene, and is sponsored by NBT Bank, Mang Insurance, and Frontier Communications. Three businesses will also receive special awards to honor the part they played during the past year as employers, producers, as well as their involvement in the community. The banquet promises to be a large event, with 150 people already signed up to attend as of Monday. The anticipated attendance is already up by 25 percent over last year.
“We want to honor small businesses who have proven they are going to stay in they area and continue to support the community,” said Commerce Chenango Membership and Programs Coordinator Jill Eddy. The three special awards will go to the businesses nominated as Small Business of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Manufacturer of the Year. “The award winners are organizations that are here to stay, to help and to invest in community,” said Eddy.
In past years, banquet attendees have predominantly consisted of local business heads, big and small, as well as board members and personal friends of the award recipients. “The banquet exemplifies what our community is all about,” said Eddy.
This year’s recipient for the Small Business of the Year Award is GHS Federal Credit Union. The award is given to a small business with a proven record as a respected and established business. Last year, GHS bought the old Byrne Dairy building on East Main Street in Norwich and converted it into a new branch. “They have also done a lot to support the community,” said Eddy.
“I was surprised – fun surprised though,” said GHS Federal Credit Union President and CEO Dan Leclerc. “We are always trying to be a part of the community and trying to stay involved in different ways. When I got the news, I couldn’t belive it. I thought, ‘Holy cow, this is great!’” he said.
“We feel pretty honored, one that we were nominated is very flattering, and two just to have that recognition is exciting because people have noticed what we are doing,” said Leclerc.
Norwich Tire Co. owner Bob Nassar is this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year. The award, in honor of Sam Golden, recognizes the recipient’s inventive ability to grow their business, with past recipients including Enzo Olivieri, Jim Fowler, and Roger Connelly. During the past year, Nassar purchased the old Giant’s Warehouse on East River Road and moved in the Outdoor Power Equipment branch of his company there, allowing him to sell larger products.
“Everyone has been working really hard to make sure the new location is a success,” said Nassar. “I used to work for IBM and they would often invest in the local economy when it was down,” he said. “I think it is awesome for them to honor us like this and I really appreciate it.”
Norwich Pharmaceuticals has been chosen to receive the Manufacture of the Year award. The criteria for the award includes not only a contribution to the local economy but a contribution to other local industries as well. Norwich Pharmaceuticals was chosen this year mainly for its efforts as the driving force to get Chenango County designated as a U.S. Foreign trade zone. If Chenango County were to be designated as a foreign trade zone, it would benefit local manufacturers by reducing the cost of selling goods made from imported raw materials. Norwich Pharmaceuticals has also been a steady employer for Chenango County residents.
For more information on the Chamber’s annual dinner, call 334-1400 or visit chenangony.org.