WPGW has big night

It was WPGW’s night.
Rob Weaver had the pleasure of handing his employee John Boggs the Citizen of the Year award.
The emcee then turned over his microphone to Eric Rogers to announce the finalists for the Lifetime Achievement Award. A few minutes later, Weaver was right back on stage accepting the honor.
Weaver, WPGW’s owner and general manager, and Boggs, one of the radio station’s advertising representatives and reporters, took the pair of top honors Thursday at the Jay County Community Awards.
“It was quite an honor for the two of us to be recognized by a vote of our fellow chamber members to receive these two very nice awards,” said Weaver. “John and I both were pleased just to be named as finalists in these categories … and then to be named the recipients of these awards … made the evening very special. The service that WPGW provides the community is our ultimate goal … and to be recognized in part because of what we do to provide this service to the Jay County area is extremely gratifying.”
Others honored at the Thursday’s Jay County Chamber of Commerce event in the commons at Jay County High School were:
•Dunkirk Community Commitment: Rock and Kathy Fuqua
•Industry of the Year: FCC (INDIANA)
•Business of the Year: Valentine Feed and Supply
•Not-for-profit of the Year: Jay Community Center
•Innovator of the Year: Jay County Promise
•Young Professional of the Year: Dave Hyatt
Owner, operator and on-air personality for WPGW for nearly four decades, Weaver earned the Lifetime Achievement Award for his work delivering local radio to Jay County and the surrounding area as well as the integral role he has played for a variety of other organizations. He has also served as executive director of John Jay Center for Learning and served a term on Jay School Board.
Weaver has been involved in a litany of local groups, including United Way of Jay County, Portland Rotary Club, Dunkirk Investment Group and Jay County Visitor and Tourism Bureau. He’s also been instrumental in fundraising efforts, most recently for the expansion of Jay County Historical Museum, construction of Portland Water Park and the addition of a senior center at Jay Community Center.
His previous honors from the chamber include Citizen of the Year and Dunkirk Community Commitment. He has been inducted the Indiana Association of County Fairs Hall of Fame and honored as Sportscaster of the Year by the Indiana Association of Sportscasters for his work covering high school sports. He’s also a past winner of the Jack Cole Award for volunteereism and has been honored for lifetime achievement by the Cincinnatus League.
“What an honor. Thanks so much to the Jay County chamber,” said Weaver. “Two other wonderful finalists, they’re my dear friends, both of them, Milo Miller and Vicki Tague, so I really appreciate this honor this evening.”
Weaver, whose first career was as a teacher, was working part-time for the Winchester radio station when the area basketball tournament was played for the first time at the new high school in Jay County in 1976.
“So I came up here to cover the sectional and met the owner of the Portland station, Bob Brandon. He invited me to come on board and the rest of it is history. I’ve been here ever since, and I’m so happy I have been. What a wonderful community to be involved in. …
“I look forward to continuing helping the community, and I’ll do so as long as I can.”
In addition to his work for WPGW, Boggs serves on the boards of Jay Community Center, United Way of Jay County and the chamber, and is also involved in the Jay County 2016 Bicentennial Committee.
His fundraising efforts, like Weaver’s, have included Portland Water Park and the senior center at JCC.
“I’ll probably have to give him a pay raise now,” Weaver joked after announcing Boggs as the winner.
“I truly am humbled to be in that group, and I really appreciate and am inspired by their contributions,” Boggs said of fellow finalists Donald Gillespie and Randy Davis. “For those of you out there who have not been bitten out there by the community service bug yet, I have a recommendation for you. Find one thing that you’re passionate about and jump in with both feet.
“Because if you do, two things are going to be true. No. 1, if you’re passionate about it, you’re always going to find time to do it. And No. 2, if you’re passionate about it, you’re going to make a difference in that organization, and that will make a difference in you. Thank you very much for the award.”
The Fuquas, owners of Fuqua Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram in Dunkirk, were honored for their efforts to improve their city as members of Dunkirk Investment Group and supports of not-for-profits and community events. They are also in the process of renovating the city’s former fire station into an art gallery.
Jeff Bailey, FCC’s vice president of administration, accepted the Industry of the Year award on behalf of the county’s largest employer, which produces nine-speed clutch assemblies for the auto industry, including Honda, Chrysler and Land Rover. It ships about 8.7 million parts annually and is in the process of completing a $7.5 million expansion.
“Obviously we wouldn’t be here without all of your support, the support from Jay County and the city of Portland, also the state of Indiana,” said Bailey. “We do appreciate this award. We thank you so much. We’re very humbled and we look forward to a great future together.”
Valentine Feed and Supply, a finalist for the second year in a row, supplies livestock and pet food and other supplies from its store on the north side of Portland. Owner Mark Valentine is active as a board member for the chamber of commerce and the 4-H livestock committee and he is also co-chair of the inaugural Rural American Farm and Garden Expo planned for September at Jay County Fairgrounds.
Jay Community Center earned its award for its continued effort to improve the community through activities centered around sports, recreation and fitness through the boys and girls clubs, Boomer sports and senior activities. The organization is planning to construct a senior center to the east of its current building this year.
Hyatt, CEO of Jay County Hospital, was praised for his leadership and team approach to delivering health care to the community. He is a board member for United Way of Jay County John Center for Learning, Indiana Rural Health Association and the chamber.
“I’m shocked, and honored,” said Hyatt. “I was honored to be nominated. … I owe everything to the team. This really isn’t an individual award in my eyes.”
Other finalists for the awards were: Lifetime achievement — Milo Miller Jr. and Vicki Tague; Citizen of the Year — Donald Gillespie and Randy Davis; Dunkirk Community Commitment Award — Beverly Roysden and Cindy Shepherd; Business of the Year — Display Craft and Suman Bros. Pizza; Not-for-profit of the Year — Jay County Hospital and United Way of Jay County; Innovator of the Year — TLS By Design; Young Professional of the Year — Zach Chenoweth and Ray Cooney.