Westerville Chamber Awards

2017 Business Person of Year  |  2017 Young Professional of the Year  |  2017 Business of the Year (Small and Large)

The Westerville Area Chamber is excited to announce the winners of the 2017 Business Person of the Year, 2017 Young Professional of the Year and 2017 Business of the Year awards.

Each year, the Chamber solicits nominations for these awards from Chamber members. Following the nominations, finalists were selected and interviewed. Each finalist was judged on a list of criteria, including leadership, innovation and community involvement. The winners selected for each award category are:

2017 BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Kathy Krendl, President, Otterbein University

Kathy has championed new programs to reduce the cost of a degree through a dual admission program with Columbus State Community College and partnerships with local K-12 school districts, offering financial aid packages to students from under-served schools. Her efforts have increased the diversity of each incoming class for the past four years. In her time at Otterbein, she built the infrastructure to launch the largest campaign in the University's history and built new partnerships. One major accomplishment was the creation of The Point at Otterbein University, an innovation center and private/ public partnership that will result in the creation of 200 jobs in five years. She sits on the Boards of Ohio Campus Compact, Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and I know I Can, while previously serving on the boards of the YWCA Columbus, WARM, Ohio Learning Network and more.

2017 YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR
Erin Bender, Executive Director, The Point at Otterbein University

Erin, a small business owner and entrepreneur herself, has unique insight into the needs of businesses and how to marry those needs into technology. The Point set out to become home to two resident companies in its first year, but under her leadership, five companies are in residence. Because there has never been a center like The Point, she is successfully taking calculated risks and her success with partnership development so far exceeds the feasibility study, which estimated the creation of 200 jobs in five years totaling $16 million in payroll. She is involved with 4-H and owns C.A.B.B. Farms, LLC, a 65-acre family farm in Lexington, OH.

2017 SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
TriAd Marketing & Media

TriAd Marketing & Media is a full service marketing firm located in Westerville since 2005. Previous to that it was located off Schrock/ Busch Blvd. since 1972. TriAd has offered advertising, marketing and sales support to clients throughout Ohio, the Mid-West and the entire country while working with B2B and B2C, helping them determine their best marketing message and reach their target audiences to get the best results. Aside from offering excellent service, TriAd enjoys quarterly fun, away from the office, out from behind your desk, team building activities such as an annual Chili Bowl, Putt-Wars and tailgating. TriAd has multiple "TriAd Troops," which every staff member participates in, which provides all associates a voice and power to make decisions for the betterment of the whole. The Communications, Education and Associate Engagement Troops meet bi-weekly to determine how the company can better communicate with each other and to TriAd's clients, to share educational tips and to build programs that encourage and prop-up the creativity and engagement to happy, healthy associates. Most of the staff live and work in Westerville and is proud to provide support services to The Crawford Crew Foundation, a local non-profit raising awareness for cervical cancer. The TriAd team is also 'adopting' a Westerville family this holiday and will volunteer with WARM in January.

Award is sponsored by:

2017 LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Associated Insurance Agencies

Associated Insurance Agencies was originally established in 1923 as a small, local independent insurance agency that specialized in providing automobile, homeowner and business insurance the residents of central Ohio. Since 2011, the Agency has increased its P&C Sales from approximately $13 million to now over $26 million and increased our team from 15 people and one location to 47 people and eight locations. Associated Insurance Agencies offers an Agent Development & Mentorship Program to help develop the company culture and support growth of employees. The Agency also provides Associated's Volunteer Time Off, when a member of the Agency volunteers their time for a charity there time is rewarded with matched vacation days up to two days. Since some people do not have the capability to donate monetarily, the Agency would like to reward them for volunteering their time. Associated also has five areas of charities that they support Cancer Research (Comics for a Cure, Race for a Cure and more), Children (A Kid Again and Make A Wish Foundation), Food Bank (WARM), Education (Second & Seven Foundation) and Arts (Westerville Symphony and Westerville Area Chamber's Music & Arts Festival). The Agency has worked closely with clients and business leaders to implement risk management processes to help protect business. The agency has been heavily involved and supported a number of local businesses and associations such as the Westerville Area Chamber, Westerville Rotary, WARM and Uptown Westerville, Inc.

Award is sponsored by:

“These awards represent the very best of the Westerville business community,” said Janet Tressler-Davis, President & CEO of the Westerville Area Chamber. “We look forward to honoring these highly-qualified recipients and their excellent business practices.”

The award recipients will be honored at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon, taking place on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center, 100 Green Meadows Drive, Lewis Center. The event is open to the public.

A WORD FROM A PAST AWARD RECIPIENT:
“As a small business owner in Westerville, we found this award as Business of the Year for under 50 employees reinforced our belief that Westerville is supportive of local businesses.  We have patients that specifically sought us out for their services knowing we had been awarded as the Chamber’s Business of the Year.  Our existing customers could not have been prouder of the accomplishment.  Westerville loves to embrace them.  Collectively, we would encourage any business to apply or customers to nominate their favorite business for these awards."

- Dr. K, Northstar Family Dental, 2016 Small Business of the Year

MORE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact the Westerville Chamber office at (614)-882-8917 or email info@westervillechamber.com.