Crossroads Chamber honors businesses across the Region at fifth annual Business Excellence Awards
Over 300 people representing businesses across Northwest Indiana gathered together for a night of fun, networking, and celebration at the fifth annual Crossroads Chamber Business Excellence Awards on Thursday, March 6. Held at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center in Merrillville, the ceremony honored businesses in the Region and all they do to create economic prosperity while enhancing the quality of life in their communities.
“Tonight’s event lets people meet with many others in the community, and it's a great time for everybody to get to network with each other,” said Jessica Traina, Crossroads Chamber committee member. “It’s also fun to see the businesses and people win the awards they were nominated for. It can get pretty emotional watching everyone win their awards.”
The night began with guests mingling as they enjoyed drinks and hor d'oeuvres before jumping into the main event. This year’s event saw a record-breaking number of honorees. Before the awards kicked off, Brian Popp of Laszlo & Popp, PC, champagne sponsor, had all attendees raise their glass to celebrate the 15 years of success for Crossroads Chamber and all nominees and winners. Brian was the first Chairman of the Board for Crossroads.
“It's an excellent networking opportunity for people," said Shawn Pettit, Crossroads Chamber board of directors member and chairman of the Business Excellence Award Committee. “We want to honor businesses because the businesses are the backbone of the towns here, such as Merrillville and the City of Crown Point. If we didn’t have the business community, we wouldn’t be able to have things such as subdivisions and houses, and the people have got to have a place to go to. I’m very happy and proud of the turnout. My committee is outstanding. Everyone involved has done an outstanding job.”
In addition to creating ample networking opportunities, the awards ceremony also gave businesses a chance to put their name in front of a large crowd, which can lead to even more unique interactions that last long past the night of the event - a personal favorite part about the ceremony for Pettit.
“We enjoy hosting events like this because it helps give the businesses exposure,” Pettit said. “Tonight’s recap is going to go on our chamber page, and the exposure, accompanied by the camaraderie, is going to be great for them. We want to help our businesses prosper, and I think this event helps them out in that regard.”
John Jordan, current Crossroads Chamber chairman and owner and president of CertaPro Painters of Northwest Indiana, was the recipient last year for Business Leader and was proud to be back again this year to welcome in the new wave of winners. The Business Excellence Awards, he noted, are a wonderful way to honor the good in Northwest Indiana, and while winning last year’s honor meant a lot, it hardly compares to recognizing the others in the community working hard to make all the magic happen.
“This year, it was really good to be in a position as the chairman to watch all of the nominees be recognized, as well as the winners of the categories, and be able to take pictures with them on behalf of the chamber,” Jordan said. “As much as I really loved winning the Business Leader last year, I really appreciated the opportunity to recognize people for their efforts. As a chamber member, being able to be in that position to recognize people for all their hard work and effort in our community is what really makes it all worth it.”
In addition to celebrating the fifth round of Business Excellence Awards winners, Crossroads Chamber also celebrated its 15th year as a chamber. With almost two entire decades underway, the team is looking forward to helping companies throughout Northwest Indiana succeed and thrive to keep the Region’s business community strong for many, many years.
This year’s Business Excellence Awards winners included:
- Rising Star: Spencer Summers, Northwest Indiana Forum
- Young Entrepreneur: Chase Lowden, Chase Lowden Financial
- Minority Business: Brown Family Ranch
- Community Volunteer: Phil Griffith, MAAC Foundation
- Corporate Responsibility: Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
- Non-Profit: Franciscan Health Foundation
- Business Success: NorthShore Health Centers
- Business Leader: Bill Trowbridge, Regional Care Group
- Legacy: Franciscan Health
To learn more about Crossroads Chamber and how it can help impact your business today, please visit crossroadschamber.org.