Chamber Chairman Jim Kinnett (Kinnett Consulting), City of Harrison Mayor William Neyer, and Chamber Government Advocacy Chair Gary Ellerhorst (Crown Plastics)
JTM Food Group was named Greater Harrison Business of the Year by the Greater Harrison Chamber of Commerce during its Annual Dinner & Awards Nov. 15. The company opened a $26 million expansion in Harrison earlier this year, nearly doubling manufacturing capacity to 185 million pounds of kettle-cooked food and creating many new jobs. The company has also earned a reputation in the community for giving back.
The Chamber presented a special recognition, Outstanding of Advocate of Business, to City of Harrison Mayor William Neyer and city council.
“As business owners and company leaders, we are fortunate to operate in a community that supports local business growth and economic development,” said Gary Ellerhorst, president of Crown Plastics and the Chamber’s government advocacy chair. “This more than a tagline. It’s proven in the actions of the City of Harrison, led by Mayor Neyer.”
Neyer and Harrison’s seven councilmembers have recently partnered with the Chamber on a workforce development initiative, provided redevelopment loans, created an entertainment district in the City’s historic downtown, expanded the downtown redevelopment district and created a community improvement corporation.
Other award winners were:
Greater Harrison New Business of the Year: Boley Braces
Dr. Boley is a Board Certified Orthodontist and owner of Boley Braces with locations in Harrison and Western Hills where he provides orthodontic excellence for children, teens and adults. He spent four years practicing orthodontics in a large practice in Fayetteville, Arkansas before purchasing Dr. Spike Faris’ practice in 2014 and Dr. Mike Uhde’s practice in 2017. Dr. Boley remains very active and believes strongly in giving back to our community.
Also nominated: The Gray Oak, Casey’s Storage Solutions
Greater Harrison Innovator of the Year: Cincinnati Test Systems
Cincinnati Test Systems is a leading manufacturer of test systems and equipment for manufacturing applications. You might recall that last year, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, visited CTS to recognize their work in developing water-resistant technology for Apple’s iPhone products. CTS invested heavily in the Harrison community by building a new plant and bringing a large workforce to the city of Harrison.
Greater Harrison Corporate Citizen of the Year: Skyline Chili (Harrison)
Skyline in Harrison installed a new gym floor for Southwest Local Schools and purchased two badly needed wrestling mats. The restaurant provides certificates of excellence awards to all the schools each year. Skyline provides many fundraisers for the churches and schools and recently provided 480 free food coupons for a Veterans Day program.
Also nominated: Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (Harrison)
Mary Lou Smith Community Service Award: Jennifer Mohr
Since moving to Harrison over 20 years ago, Jennifer has worked as a branch manager at Miami Savings Bank and then at FCN Bank. She is currently in the accounting department of FCN Bank’s main office in Brookville. Jennifer has served in various capacities with the Xi Eta Iota Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi sorority, Harrison Recreation Commission and Harrison Historical Society, raising funds and working on various projects and events for the betterment of the community.
Also nominated: Hank Menninger (Wood & Lamping LLP, Harrison City Council), John Hamstra (Southwest Local Schools)
Greater Harrison Young Professional of the Year Award: Spencer Ford (Conservative Financial Solutions)
Spencer is the chief operating officer at Conservative Financial Solutions, which was founded by his father in 1985. As one of the firm’s Wealth Advisors, Spencer has earned both a Securities Series 65 and Ohio Insurance License. He is a graduate of Cincinnati Christian University with a master’s degree in counseling. He has served the community as a Chamber board member since 2017 and has been instrumental in his firm’s fundraiser at Stricker’s Grove, raising thousands of dollars for Christ’s Loving Hands. Spencer and his firm have generously contributed to numerous athletic and academic programs, church missions trips, The Mayor’s Fund, and Safe Passage.
Also nominated: Ross Gottula (Grass Creek LLC and Parkview Manor Lincoln LLC), Kersten Westheider (Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers)
The Greater Harrison Chamber Non-Profit Organization of the Year: Pathways to Home
Pathways to Home has served Harrison and the surrounding communities since 1989. In 2018, Pathways completed 3950 in home visits with new parents and served served over 1,000 families through the Give&Take Pantry. In addition to several other initiatives, Pathways partnered with Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank to provide over 15,000 diapers to area families in need, one of the most important items for child well-being.
Also nominated: Reach Out Pregnancy Center, Celebrate Recovery
The Greater Harrison Chamber Business of the Year Award: JTM Food Group
Founded in 1960, JTM is a second and third generation family-owned business and global distributor of food products. Earlier this year, JTM opened its $26 million expansion in Harrison. The new facility nearly doubles the company’s manufacturing capacity to 185 million pounds of kettle-cooked food, and creating many new jobs. JTM believes they were not put on Earth only for this business, and so they consistently give back to dozens of organizations in the Greater Harrison community.
Also nominated: Cronin Ford and Kia
Greater Harrison Chamber Distinguished Service Award: Sara Cullin (Signal Tree Creative Communications)
Sara has served as a board member for the Greater Harrison Chamber for three years and leads its marketing and programs committee. She has spent countless hours as a volunteer, elevating the Chamber’s presence through educational programming, networking opportunities, golf outings and other events. She oversees the Chamber’s communications efforts including its website, email newsletters, social media and news media. She is a PRSA accredited public relations practitioner and founded Signal Tree, a public relations firm, in 2018.
About 100 local professionals and community leaders attended the celebration at The Woodlands in Cleves, Ohio. The Greater Harrison Chamber was founded in 2014, “To Promote the Prosperity of the Greater Harrison Business Community.” Community members wanted an organization that focused on the development and support of the local business community and to provide a voice for local businesses to city, county, state and national government. The Chamber also provides educational forums, networking, leadership development, marketing opportunities and benefit programs.
MEDIA CONTACT
Sara Cullin