“Our organization is on an upswing and, because of members like you, our chamber staff and the board of directors, the sky is almost the limit. I want to thank you for allowing me this luxury,” Immediate Past President James Anton said in his closing remarks.
Anton was addressing the hundred-plus members of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, January 25, during the 2012 Annual Meeting and Board Installation at Sand Creek Country Club, which saw the end of Anton’s tenure and also featured the re-appointment of board member Laurie Wehner-Evans of Porter Health System, who earned a special exception for a third term.
After his speech, Anton, of Anton Insurance Agency, handed the gavel to Mary Fox of Kramer & Leonard Office Products, the incoming President of the Chamber.
“Mary Fox, it is with great pleasure that I now pass the gavel and hand over the reigns to you,” Anton concluded.
“I hope 2011 was a good year for everyone, and that 2012 will be an even better year,” she explained. “And, to that point, I want to encourage you all to make the most of your chamber membership. There are so many opportunities you can leverage with your chamber membership.”
She went on to explain some of the opportunities, including advertising with the chamber’s email newsletter, on the chamber website, street banners, and the Duneland Today magazine. “The Duneland Today magazine is a very beautiful, very slick magazine that I am sure you all see. It gets you noticed.”
She also talked about the chamber’s new sign on Highway 49. Where the old, outdated sign had blown over, the new sign looks to be a marked improvement. “The visual impact of the new sign is going to be an amazing improvement for us,” Fox explained.
The new sign will allow more businesses to add more information to the sign, such as company logos, along with pictures of products and staff.
Fox also went on to explain the many chamber networking events taking place at various times of the day, morning, and night. “There are all kinds of ways to get engaged with people in this community and in this room, so make the most of them.”
She then talked about the job that Heather Ennis, the Executive Director of the Chamber, has done in her time on the team. “Heather has done a wonderful job the last couple of years elevating our profile with the economic development community. We’re on the map.”
The meeting closed with the appointment of the 2012 Officers and Executive Committee, along with the 2012 Board of Directors, listed below.
Editor’s note: We’d like to especially thank Heather Ennis for engaging with us. We’re happy to be a member of the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber and the chamber has been very welcoming to the Ideas in Motion Media team. It looks to be another great year in 2012!
2012 Proposed Officers & Executive Committee
- President - Mary Fox, Kramer & Leonard Office Products
- Immediate Past President - James P. Anton, Anton Insurance Agency
- Vice President-President Elect - Tracy Freeze, HMS Midwest
- Secretary - Laurie Wehner-Evans, Porter Health System
- Treasurer - Scott Mundell, Franciscan St. Anthony Health
- Member At-Large - Hesham Khalil, Global Land Surveying
- Member At-Large - John Marshall, 1st American Management
2012 Board of Directors
- James P. Anton, Anton Insurance Agency
- Bob Capehart, ArcelorMittal Steel USA
- Mark Chamberlain, Lakeside Wealth Management
- Maribeth Conyne, Regal Rabbit
- Janice Custer, Duneland School Corporation
- William Dickey, Community Member
- Mary Fox, Kramer & Leonard Office Products
- Tracy Freeze, HMS Midwest
- Hesham Khalil, Global Land Surveying
- Wendy Levenfeld, Wendy J. Levenfeld & Associates
- Brock Lloyd, LaPorte Savings Bank
- John Marshall, 1st American Management
- Fred McNulty, Community Member
- Bert Miller, Raymond James & Associates
- Scott Mundell, Franciscan St. Anthony Health
- Chuck Parkinson, Harris, Welsh & Lukmann
- Glenn Wagner, The Waters of Duneland
- Laurie Wehner-Evans, Porter Health System