BUCYRUS – The annual dinner of the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce was held this week and numerous awards were handed out.
Local optometrist, Dr. Wayne Collier, walked away with the Citizen of the Year award for his work within the community and afar.
“For more than 30 years he has personally taken care of those who could not afford to protect the precious gift of sight, having provided eye examinations and glasses to the needy, in conjunction with the Bucyrus Lions Club, at a greatly reduced cost, and many times at no cost,” said Deb Pinion, director of the Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce.
This year’s Business of the Year award went to Crossroads Original Designs that manufactures a variety of products and is known for their scented candles.
“This family owned and operated business is built on small town values and big city dreams,” Pinion said. “Since its founding in 2003, the company has continually reported notable growth even in troubling economic times. Company leaders attribute this as much to their customer centered business philosophy as they superior production line.”
Mary Fox is this year’s Volunteer of the Year for her work as a local historian.
“Her articles in the Telegraph Forum cause some of us to reminisce, while teaching a youth a little something about the faces and places of our area with her “It happened in Crawford County” articles,” Pinion said. “She is responsible for writing numerous books including, “Liberty Remembers” and “Honored and Remembered”, both a tribute to our area veterans. She has written other books, most recently for Dr. Don Wenner, all involving her passion for history.”
The 2015 Posthumous Award went to Dr. Samuel Thomas who worked in the community as a veterinarian for 50 years.
“He also served as the Crawford County Health Commissioner for 10 years, served on the board of directors for the Bucyrus Community Hospital, and served as the youth director at the First Presbyterian Church,” Pinion said.
The 2015 Organization of the Year is the Crawford Parks District.
“Created just shy of 21 years ago, this organization has grown to be one of the true gems of our area. Young and old alike, enjoy many of the activities that the group offers, including its facilities. No matter if it’s viewing the night sky, exploring the world of insects, nature hikes, recycling, or simply walking the incredible wooded trails, this organization has given it all to us for the taking,” Pinion said.
The young professional spotlight award ties in with the organization of the year award in the fact that one of the three recipients, Joshua Dyer, is a naturalist for the park district.
“After spending 5 years on a large farming operation, he has been with the Crawford Park District since 2007 where he works with children of all ages, engaging them in nature investigation and exploration. Though most of his education outreach is with pre-k through 5th grade, he also works with older kids and adults as well,” Pinion said.
Melinda Teynor was another recipient of the young professional spotlight award.
“Born and raised in New Washington Ohio and a graduate of Buckeye Central and Kent State University, she is a Lead Services Specialist in the Quality and Service Department at Ohio Mutual. She is a graduate of the 2015 CU Lead program and is now a part of the leadership committee that Debbie Gifford chairs. She was also the event chair for the Crawford County Young Professionals for 3 years and is currently serving as a board member for the United Way of Crawford County,” Pinion said.
The first spotlight award went to Erin Stine who is originally from Shelby and a graduate from Cleveland State University with a degree in communications and marketing.
“She is currently the Director for the Crawford County Success Center, in cooperation North Central State College,” said Pinion.
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