Honoring spirit

“As Vicki always said, you are all very special.”

It was that spirit of former Jay County Chamber of Commerce executive director Vicki Tague that hundreds gathered to celebrate Saturday night, including the first presentation of an award renamed in her honor.

Ron Freeman was voted the first winner of The Spirit of Vicki Lifetime Achievement Award as he was among the nine honorees at the Jay County Chamber of Commerce Community Awards ceremony at Jay County Event Center.

In accepting the award, Freeman noted that he was president of Portland Area Chamber of Commerce when Tague was hired as its executive director in 1992. She stayed in the position for nearly 22 years and spearheaded the implementation of a county-wide chamber in 2008.

“I always felt like this was one of the best decisions that I ever made in my career,” said Freeman. “Vicki had an incredible influence on this community. So it’s an honor for me to be the first recipient of this award.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which has been given since 1992, was renamed this year in honor of Tague, who died April 19, 2019, following a battle with cancer. She won the award herself in 2016.

Her husband, Charlie, had hoped to be able to give out the award but was unable to attend Saturday’s event because of his own battle with cancer.

“I adore Vicki, and this would be an honor,” he said in a prepared statement read by chamber executive director Tabby Sprunger. “It means so much to me, and also, I am sure, so much to Vicki that she is being honored in this way.”

Also Saturday, Portland Fire Chief Mike Weitzel was named Citizen of the Year, with Bizy Dips winning Business of the Year and Tyson Mexican Original selected as Industry of the Year. Other winners were: Dunkirk Community Commitment – Ryan and Kelly Johnson; Not-for-profit of the Year – John Jay Center for Learning; Small Community Commitment – Brooks and Cassie Fugiett; Young Professional of the Year – Adam Homan; and Innovator of the Year – the Jay School Corporation food service program and Chartwells. The chamber also recognized Pat Jellison, who retired as its administrative assistant after 30 years of service.

Freeman was honored for his years with Jay Petroleum, including 23 as president of the company. He retired in December, shortly after the company completed the purchase of Ottawa Oil that expanded its footprint to 57 retail Pak-a-Sak and Party Mart locations in Indiana and Ohio. He was a member of the first board of directors of Indiana Association of Convenience Stores and served on the Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association twice. He has also been actively involved in local theatre, with his church and with various other local organizations.

Freeman said he was especially honored to share the award with his father-in-law, Jim Peterson, the founder of Jay Petroleum. Peterson won the award in 1996.

“Jim brought me to Portland in 1983 to work in his company,” Freeman said. “He shared a great deal of trust in me and allowed me many years of opportunities. My career would not have been the career it was without that man.”

Weitzel earned the Citizen of the Year Award for both his efforts leading Portland’s fire department and his community service. He is a member of the United Way of Jay County Board of Directors and a founding member of Portland Main Street Connect.

Bizy Dips was honored as Business of the Year after expanding its bakery operation with a coffee shop in John Jay Center for Learning last year. Tyson, which has been in Portland for more than 25 years, earned the Industry of the Year Award for its continued investment in its operation, including the installation of a new taco shell line in the fall that resulted in dozens of new jobs.

Ryan Johnson spoke enthusiastically about the efforts the city is making to grow after he and his wife Kelly won the Dunkirk Community Commitment award. Together, they opened Glass Capital Grill in Dunkirk in late summer 2020.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you. All we’re doing is riding the coattails of a few guys in Dunkirk who have already started a fire,” said Johnson, referencing Rock Fuqua and Dunkirk Mayor Jack Robbins. “We’re throwing gasoline on it. …

“There’s a group of people in Dunkirk that are amazing people. This award really goes to those guys. It’s their dream in Dunkirk. We’re just keeping it going.”

John Jay Center for Learning was honored for its efforts to expand post-secondary educational opportunities, including implementing programs such as its advanced manufacturing classes. Homan earned the Young Professional of the Year Award both for his work as general manager at POET Biorefining, his efforts as a member of The Portland Foundation board and the chamber of commerce board and for his active role as a coach of youth sports. The Fugietts, owners of Mid-States Construction and Citadel Supply in Redkey, received the Small Community Commitment Award for supporting the town’s business community and being involved in youth sports and activities.

Jay School Corporation’s food service department and Chartwells won the Innovator of the Year Award for their efforts to continue to feed students when schools were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. From the time schools closed in mid-March 2020 to reopening in September, they provided about 45,000 meals to local children.

Other finalists for the awards were as follows:

The Spirit of Vicki Lifetime Achievement — Randy Fisher and Jack Ronald

Citizen of the Year — Cindy Denney, Tracey VanSkyock and Mindy Weaver

Business of the Year — Glass Capital Grill and Pizza King of Portland

Dunkirk Community Commitment — Aaron and Stephanie Walter, and West Jay Optimist Club

Industry of the Year — Advanced Seal Technology and TLS by Design

Not-for-profit of the Year — Pregnancy Care Center and Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition

Small Community Commitment — Debbie James and Kelly Smeltzer

Young Professional of the Year — Erin Davis and Hannah Long

Innovator of the Year — Dilcia Ruiz and First Bank of Berne