On Saturday, November 16, Crossroads Chamber hosted its annual gala at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana. The event, titled "A Night of Timeless Elegance: Diamonds and Pearls Gala," saw Crossroads Chamber members and other community leaders come out dressed in their finest. The event’s sponsors included:
Presenting Sponsor – Franciscan Health
Emerald Sponsor – Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
Black Diamond Entertainment sponsor – IBEW local 697
Diamonds & Pearls Theme Sponsor – Crow Holdings Industrial
Couture Centerpiece Sponsor – Luxor Homes with Centerpieces by Strack & Van Til
Paparazzi Sponsor – Northwestern Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council
Sips & Savor Bar Sponsor – American Structurepoint inc. & Core Construction
Wine Sponsor – ABCO General Contractors & Real Estate Services, Inc.
Inspiring Educator - Purdue Federal Credit Union
First Responders – NIPSCO
Titanium – McColly Real Estate, Powers Health, Town of Merrillville
Platinum – BrightStarCare, Everwise Credit Union, Indiana American Water, Panduit
Deann Patena, president and CEO of Crossroads Chamber, enjoyed celebrating another year of successful partnerships among the Region’s businesses at the gala.
“This event gives members of the business community a chance to network and have a night of fun,” Patena said. “We enjoy interacting with each other in a fun party setting like this. This was the first year that we have opened up our Inspiring Educator and First Responder awards to all schools in Lake County. We’ve been able to recognize teachers and first responders from all over the county here tonight. We want to emphasize just how important these individuals are to our community. I want everyone to know that Crossroads is here to support our business community and help make Northwest Indiana bigger and stronger. As I always say, ‘We're better together.'”
During a brief award ceremony, four community members were recognized for the exemplary work they have done in their respective fields. In the Inspiring Educator category, Eads Elementary teacher Jennifer Herold, received the award for Early Education, while Crown Point High School teacher Kristen Campbell received the Secondary Education award. In the First Responders category, Indiana State Police Detective Chris Eagles won the Police Officer of the Year award, and Joe Bonk of the Dyer Fire Department was awarded Firefighter of the Year.
Shawn Pettit, town councilman for Merrillville's sixth ward, Crossroads Chamber board member, and chairman of the gala committee, appreciated seeing the months spent planning this year’s gala pay off at last.
“Businesses are the backbone of any community,” Pettit said. “We at Crossroads Chamber seek to show that we support them with events like the gala and Small Business Saturday, which will be held later this month. Whether it’s our gala, the business expo, the corn roast, or the golf outing, Crossroads Chamber is always trying to promote business growth and create more networking opportunities for business owners. I hope our guests enjoyed the meal, the venue, and the opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends. Hopefully, they’ll have a good time and leave the gala thinking that Crossroads is the best chamber.”
This year’s gala featured a photo booth, and a chance to win a beautiful diamond necklace donated by Cullen Wulf of Wulf Jewelers in Crown Point. It also featured a silent auction in which participants could win a wide variety of items including a Blackhawks jersey autographed by Chris Chelios, a brand-new Ninja Foodi air fryer, and a basket of Gnosis Brewing products.
Jack Cunningham kicked the evening off with some live music before Dick Diamond and the Dusters got the crowd dancing to classic tunes like “Jessie's Girl” by Rick Springfield, “Fireball” by Pitbull, and “Don't Stop Believing” by Journey.
Chuck Roberts, president and CEO of Lakeshore Public Media, will officially join the Crossroads Chamber board of directors come November. He believes that the gala excellently embodies Crossroads Chamber’s values.
“Crossroads Chamber differs from other chambers in that it brings people from multiple counties together to do good things for the community,” Roberts said. “I’ve enjoyed meeting people from many different occupations at the gala. At my table alone, my group was seated with a lawyer and a gentleman whose business paves garage floors. A lot of us are in boardrooms all the time and it can be a bit stuffy, so it’s great to come out, help raise money for good causes and enjoy the weekend. It’s the perfect opportunity to build relationships while we’re building business. I just moved to Northwest Indiana after living in West Virginia for 30 years and I love interacting with the community. It’s great to be a part of something positive like Crossroads Chamber.”
Please visit crossroadschamber.org to keep up-to-date on Crossroads Chamber's future events and projects.
Additional sponsors included: 1st Source Bank, ABCO General Contractors & Real Estate Services, American Structurepoint, Beary Landscape Management, BMO Bank N.A., BrightStar Care of Lake County, Centier Corporate Centre, Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters, CertaPro Painters of NWI, Chase Lowden - Financial Advisor, City of Crown Point, Cleveland-Cliffs, Core Construction, Crow Holdings Industrial, Electrical Professionals Local 697 (IBEW), Everwise Credit Union, Franciscan Health Crown Point, Gary SouthShore RailCats, Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, Hasse Construction, Holladay Properties, Indiana American Water Co., Indiana Ballet Theatre, Invenergy, Iron Workers Local No. 395, Lakeshore Public Media, Lerner and Rowe Injury Attorneys, Level 10 Coatings, Luxor Homes, Inc., M&J Asphalt Paving Co., Inc., McColly Real Estate, McMahon & Associates, Methodist Hospitals, Noble Promotions & Apparel, Northern Indiana, Northwestern Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council, NW Indiana ER & Hospital, NWI Integrative Health and Wellness, Old National Bank, Panduit Corp., Peoples Bank, PNC Bank, Powers Stroke and Rehabilitation Center, Professional Building Services, Inc., Purdue Federal Credit Union, Purdue University Northwest, REGIONAL Federal Credit Union, Robinson Engineering, South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, Superior Air Ground Ambulance Service, Surf Internet, The Opus Group, Town of Merrillville, TradeWinds Services Inc., Ty Financial, UnitedHealthcare, Yellowstone Landscape.