Chamber of Commerce Honors Citizen and Businesses of the Year
A large crowd turned out for the 7th annual Carmi Chamber of Commerce Dinner held at the First Christian Church in Carmi, Monday evening.
The evening festivities included the announcement of the Small and Large Business of the Year.
The Small Business of the Year was presented to a father and son business that has been operating in Carmi for over 50 years. Steve and Adam Winkleman of Town and Country Barber Shop were recognized as the 2018 Small Business.
The Large Business of the Year honors was presented to Roark Trucking, also a family owned business. The Roark’s were recognized for their continued support of local sports, children and a plethora of other causes.
The evening closed with the announcement everyone was waiting for, as Ralph Anselment was named the 2018 Carmi Citizen of the Year. In presenting Anselment with the prestigious award it was pointed out, he is “what a Christian man is supposed to be.” Anselment received a standing ovation from the crowd upon being named Citizen of the Year.
The evening also included the State of the City Address from Carmi Mayor Jeff Pollard.
The CEO Class of 2019 was introduced by Tracy Orr and her students took time to thank everyone for support of the CEO class, many explaining the class has “turned their life around.”
Also speaking was the 2018 White County Fair Queen, Sydney Bingman, who spoke about Domestic Violence. She related her own story and why she is now an advocate of Domestic Violence Prevention and education.
