Gaslight Brewhouse and Gloyeske Family Chiropractic were recognized as Businesses of the Year while Jennifer Marsten and Mike and Pate Rudolph were honored as Chamber Champions for their support of Chamber activities over the years.
The event was held in the Elms Hotel Arbor Room, catered by Pickle & Pig restaurant.
Chamber Board President Dave Bryan congratulated the two Business of the Year recipients while President Kelli Riggs presented them with framed watercolor portraits of their businesses by artist Jean Vance.
“These two businesses have gone above and beyond for our community,” Bryan said. “They have worked hard within their businesses to keep our community fed and safe, following guidelines from the city and state during a pandemic, creating ways to keep spirits up and cost down for the community. Businesses like these two truly give back to our community and we thank you both for all you have done and continue to do for the Oxford community.”
He read from two nominations for Gaslight Brewhouse, the first citing the support of the community and messages left on their to go boxes. The other nomination cited the donations and special offers they provide.
“I nominate Gaslight Brewhouse because they have always put the community first with many programs throughout the year,” that second nomination read. “They offer a burger of the month and give $1 per burger to the local Luna Cares charity to help women with cancer. They offer free food to veterans on Veterans Day each year. They have also been providing Thanksgiving meals to those less fortunate since it took over from Scotty’s Brewhouse in 2019. Even during COVID, Gaslight donated over 400 meals through partnerships with Talawanda School District and the Oxford Family Resource Center. Lastly, they do a toy drive every year and the staff wraps these presents to give to children 12 years of age and under.”
Accepting the award were Dave Hornak and Jessie Sams.
Two nominations were also read for Gloyeske Family Chiropractic.
The first noted their efforts to give to patients and the community and trying to come up with ways to give back, both personally and through the business.
The second nomination read: “I nominate Gloyeske Family Chiropractic for the dedication they give to our community. They have come up with paying options that help many I am sure better afford the chiropractic care they give as well as always check in with their patients to make sure they are doing okay and squeeze patients in even after a long day of already being there just to make sure they are taken care of. Highly recommend them to anyone for their chiropractic needs.”
The award was accepted by Brad Gloyeske and Mandy Gloyeske.
Jennifer Marston was recognized as a Chamber Champion for always being willing to serve for any chamber-related event as well as six year’s membership on the board of directors. The meeting marked the end of her term on the board. She has served as the Chamber’s representative to the city’s Student Community Relations Commission, currently serves as president of the Oxford Kiwanis Club and does it all while employed fulltime at the Animal Care Clinic.
Pate Rudolph was unable to attend the meeting and her award was accepted by her husband, Mike, who also received one of the red bricks awarded for the recognition, along with Marston.
Mike Rudolph was recognized for many years on the Chamber’s board of directors, including time as chair and for service to the MBA Committee. He also volunteers time for many other community efforts.
Pate Rudolph was called a blessing to the community, volunteering time in several efforts, particularly the wine festival. She previously worked with the Miami Performing Arts Series, but now has joined in Mike’s New York Life office.
“The two of them together have become a dynamic duo within our community. They are always there to lend a helping hand to all of their family, friends, clients and community,” Bryan said. “During COVID, they were supportive of all our local businesses and walked around delivering cookies and asking if they needed anything, started a Zoom call with the chamber and businesses to be able to discuss things COVID-related that could possibly help another business from hearing other ideas. They are the true meaning of people that are supportive and committed to our community and we are so happy you chose Oxford to live, work and play in.”
The chamber board presented retiring board members Marston and Katie Pirigyi with recognition awards for their service.
In her president’s report, Riggs said the chamber experienced a growth in membership in the past year, despite the pandemic and mentioned several services which helps businesses in the past year. She said her husband, David, works with the Small Business Development Center and he provided help to local businesses in navigating the grants and other requirements brought about by the pandemic.
She said they started a series of workshops, the first one “Branding and Positioning Your Business” held in November and another planned for February 3 “Maximizing Your Chamber Benefits.” She said they are updating their web site to allow members to post new information about their business.
Riggs urged everyone to mark their calendars for this year’s Wine and Craft Beer Festival on May 21. She said it was held in the fall last year, pushed back by the pandemic, and some people said they were in favor of keeping it there but she said there are too many other events and Oktoberfest events in the fall.
“We like being the event to kick off the summer,” she said.
Keynote speaker for the evening was Chase Kreger, the CEO of Maximize Value, a firm developed to help people thrive in business.
He provided copies of his book “Maximize Influence: How to be the Influencer Not the Influenced.”
He said his comments involved the ideas used in the book, telling ten rules to influence people, which he said applies to business as well as individuals. One involved a quote, “Different is Better Than Better,” which he explained is to make yourself unique in order to be memorable to others who may need your service.
Another rule involved having clear priorities, which he illustrated with the quote, “The man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” Having five priorities, he said, means you have none.
Another rule dealt with customer service, urging the chamber members, “Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” That, he said, will make people come to you with what they need and if you can fulfill that need, they will remain customers.
Kreger summed up his comments with his tenth rule, saying, “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by things you didn’t do than things you did do. All of you have the power to change the world. All it takes to change the world is an idea.”
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