School board president given top honor at Jackson Chamber event

Nearly 500 guests attended this year's Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet Friday night at the Bavarian Halle.

Brian Gerau, the chamber's director, announced this year's winners.

The R.A. Fulenwider Meritorious Community Service Award went to Terri Tomlin, Jackson School Board president.

Tomlin has been a part of the school board for the past 12 years and has been president for the past three.

"[When Dr. Dwight Johnson called me], I was stunned ... in fact on the phone I'm not sure I said anything for a few minutes," Tomlin said.

There at the ceremony were her mother, father, sister and brother-in-law. Johnson contacted Tomlin's parents, and it was a surprise they were able to attend.

The R.A. Fulenwider award recognizes a person for making contributions to the community. Johnson, a longtime Jackson dentist, was the recipient of the 2014 award.

Other awards announced Friday night include:

* Wings, Etc. as Business of the Year

* Custom Cut Fabrication as Industry of the Year

* Kelly Darby of Modern Woodmen of America as Ambassador of the Year

* Siemer's Best Brands Plus Appliance as Small Business of the Year

Specially produced videos also were shown, showcasing Jackson businesses and their accomplishments.

The chamber also inducted six new members to its board and formally announced the new president of the chamber board.

Connie Werner is concluding her term as president for 2014; Charlie Glueck will be her successor.

Werner noted the chamber's growth while being led by Gerau since 2008. At that time the chamber comprised of 280 members. Now, it's 500. This year alone, Werner said the group's membership grew by 15 percent.

The chamber held the event in conjunction with the Jackson Industrial Development Co., a local economic and industrial development organization.

Robinson Construction was the event's main sponsor, and began with an open-bar happy hour sponsored by Liberty Utilities. Dinner was catered by Ray's of Kelso. The dinner was sponsored by the Jackson Industrial Development Co.

Chamber members decorated tables for the event, and gifts were given to attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.

Each table was covered in a different theme, varying from decorated vases and a variety of lanterns to Mardis Gras décor and Girl Scout cookies.

smaue@semissourian.com