Those making a difference get honored in Follansbee

FOLLANSBEE -- Members of the Follansbee business community gathered Wednesday to honor their own as part of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce's annual recognition dinner, held at St. Francis Centre.

"Tonight, we gather as a community to thank the individuals who help to make our community work," chamber President Debbie Puskarich said.

The chamber is a 100 percent volunteer organization with more than 150 members, Puskarich noted, thanking those who contributed toward planning Wednesday's event, along with the sponsors.

Those honored during the evening included Dave Lyle, of Lyle's Auto; Susan Freshour, of Wilkin Flower Shop; George Kondik, of P.S. Marketing; Jerry Simpson, of Borden Office Equipment; and Silvestre Merenda, of Sil's Small Enginer Repair; all named as Best in Business; the Ron Retzer Trio -- which includes Ron Retzer, Jennifer Galownia and Bob Wolfe -- received the Performing Arts award; local educator Ede Ashworth was named Teacher of the Year; and Eric Fithyan, owner of Chambers and James Funeral Homes, was named the chamber's Citizen of the Year.

In addition to the awards, the chamber also presented two $300 education grants to two Brooke County teachers to assist them with classroom projects.

Lindsey Zeigler, of Brooke Middle School, has planned a printmaking project for her eighth-grade art classes, designed to enhance innovative thinking by using problem solving skills to design and implement their projects.

Roberta Alvarez, of Brooke High School, plans a sensory and motor skills development project for her students on the autism spectrum to increase their motor skills through sensory work and play with the use of textured balls, shape puzzles, Lego, and other items.

The keynote address for the evening was provided by Patrick Ford, former executive director of the Business Development Corp. of the Northern Panhandle and the new executive director of the Marion County Industrial Foundation in Lebanon, Ky.

Ford looked back at his 10 years of work in the area, saying it was a team effort to redevelop sites in Hancock and Brooke counties and attract businesses to the region.

"It's not one person," Ford said.

Ford noted eight "ingredients" for success, which he said will benefit businesses and individuals alike. Those include having vision, having a commitment to that vision, breaking down the boundaries, being a cheerleader, having boundless energy, not being afraid to learn, be willing to take risks and having empathy.

"We are a community with very few resources. It's easy to say no," Ford said, while encouraging the crowd to continue reaching out to each other and staying positive in their work. "We're all in this together."

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com, and followed via Twitter @CHowellWDT)