Entrepreneurs and leaders recognized with ceremony
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Pictured are this year’s Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce award recipients.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Pictured are (back, from left) Rhonda Kelley, Angela Price, Stephanie Lawson, Jonathan Jackson, Ashley Fultz, Sherri Bickert, Kristen Shoemaker, and Alyssa Brown. Also pictured are (front, from left) Holly Tusing, Holly Dean, Natali Foltz, Glenda Fultz, and Kylle White.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Jonathan Jackson happily accepts his certificate from Alyssa Brown, administrative coordinator for the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday for graduating Commerce Leadership Institute classes.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Guests enjoyed dinner at the Juniata River Valley Chamber Awards Celebration and Leadership Recognition Wednesday.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Pictured are this year’s Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce award recipients.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Pictured are (back, from left) Rhonda Kelley, Angela Price, Stephanie Lawson, Jonathan Jackson, Ashley Fultz, Sherri Bickert, Kristen Shoemaker, and Alyssa Brown. Also pictured are (front, from left) Holly Tusing, Holly Dean, Natali Foltz, Glenda Fultz, and Kylle White.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Jonathan Jackson happily accepts his certificate from Alyssa Brown, administrative coordinator for the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday for graduating Commerce Leadership Institute classes.
Sentinel photo by SIERRA BOLGER<br> Guests enjoyed dinner at the Juniata River Valley Chamber Awards Celebration and Leadership Recognition Wednesday.
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MIFFLINTOWN -- Juniata River Valley Chamber Awards Celebration and Leadership Recognition was held Wednesday evening at the Garlind in Mifflintown.
Businesses, nonprofits and entrepreneurs from all over the Juniata River Valley came together to celebrate all their hard work from the past year.
"This is one of my favorite nights of the entire year, a time we can just celebrate all the wins, and there have been a lot of wins in our community," said Kelley.
Awards were presented to entrepreneurs and community members for their achievements.
The Spirit of Service Award, given to an individual or organization demonstrating outstanding achievement in public and community service went to Pete Cato and Angels from Bigfoot Country.
Wendy Kerstetter received the Ambassador Award for fostering a positive image of the Chamber within the Juniata River Valley.
The Emerging Business Award was given to Big Valley Prints & Co. and KB Precision Industries This award is given to a new fledgling business that has opened the previous year or changed ownership and represents the best of the Juniata River Valley's future.
River Raptor Jet Boats & DuMor, Inc. was awarded the Integrity in Business Award for best exemplifies the qualities of honesty, fairness, ethical business practices and concern for employees and customers.
The Economic Investment Award was given to The Garlind & Chevron Express Lube for being a business that has made significant physical improvements to their facility or has invested in constructing a new building, enhancing both their presence and contribution to their community.
Helping Hands of Juniata County and the Lewistown Alliance Church was awarded the impact award for making significant positive contributions to their community that have led to improvements in the lives of community members.
The Community Visionary Award was given to Deck the Downtown, which is given to an individual or organization who not only have a clear vision for the future of their community but also demonstrate the dedication, innovation and collaborative spirit necessary to turn that vision into reality.
The Preservation of the Juniata River Valley Award was given to Old Town Cemetery and Thompsontown House Restoration Awarded for making significant contributions to the conservation, restoration, or promotion of historic structures.
Liz Hoffner and Quintin Wicks received the Chamber Legacy Award for being an organization, business, or individuals that have demonstrated a long-term, steadfast belief in the potential of their community to thrive and prosper by investing in its future.
Kenton Stuck was give the Distinguished Service Award for demonstrating significant involvement and contributions with the Chamber.
The Entrepreneur Family of the Year Award was given to The Metzler Family, Metzler Forest Products for being a family that has demonstrated exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and success in their business endeavors while maintaining strong family values and cohesion.
Last but not least the Chamber also recognized their Leadership Institute Graduates.
The Leadership Institute is a program offered by the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce.
For a total of eight classes, running from mid Sept. to mid May. Individuals meet the second Wednesday to travel to different businesses and agencies gaining access to services and learning about all of the available assets we have in our community.
Each class is geared towards a different theme. For instance Healthcare, Human Services Day consisted of breakfast at the Primary Health Network and learning about who they are and what they do. The class takes a tour of their building and gets a full scope of the ins and outs. Later they had a panel with Juniata Valley Behavioral & Development Services as well as the Tri County Drug and Alcohol and the Area Agency on Aging followed by touring the Food Pantry at Calvary Bible Church.
The graduates of this past year's classes are Sherri Bickert of the Lumina Center, who shared her favorite memories from these classes including a tour of downtown Lewistown by Mike Buffington.
"Mike's passion for revitalizing downtown was inspiring and I especially enjoyed his gift to each of us," said Bickert.
Holly Jo Dean, of the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata shared that she especially enjoyed the Health & Human Services day where they brought in students from Katlyn Kreider's class and the nursing students from the Academy, enjoying lunch followed by a Step into Poverty activity with them.
"This class was amazing and I learned something every single day. I want to thank all the businesses that took us on tours and everyone at the Chamber," said Dean.
She joked that she wishes she could flunk out of the program and take it again next year.
Other graduates include Laurel Fagan of MCS Bank, Natali Foltz of Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau & Zion Salon, Ashley Fultz of MCS Bank, Glenda Fultz of Juniata County Food Pantry,
Jonathan Jackson of Providence Mortgage Group, Stephanie Lawson of LCSW, Courtney Musser, Sara Powell of Mifflin-Juniata Call-A-Ride Services, Angela Price of Mifflin Juniata Human Services, Amber Resto of TIU 11, Kristen Shoemaker of Kish Bank, Holly Tusing of Pennian Bank and Kylle White of Geisinger.