Top Companies and Community Leaders Recognized at
2009
Chamber of Commerce Salute to Business Luncheon
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County,
along with title sponsor Burkhart Advertising, recognized
business success and leadership in the region before nearly 700 in
attendance at the 2009 Salute to Business luncheon, held today at
the Century Center in South Bend, Ind.
Individual award
winners included Don Cressy, the recipient of the W. Scott Miller
Distinguished Business Leader Award and Judy Jankowski, recipient of
the ATHENA Award. Laidig Systems was recognized with the Economic
Impact Award, while Anthony Travel picked up the Small Business of
the Year award. Forty other companies in Michiana were recognized
for their capital investment over the past year.
Entrepreneur,
consultant, author and former player on the 1994 Nebraska National
Championship football team, Aaron Davis, delivered a rousing keynote
on the importance of mental toughness and teamwork in order to be
successful in a challenging and competitive environment. To
Perform Like a Champion and Win, he emphasized the ability to
adapt to change and need to maintain impeccable integrity while also
having fun at the same time.
PROFILES OF MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Don
Cressy
W. Scott Miller Distinguished Business Leader Award
The Distinguished
Business Leader Award is bestowed upon an individual who has
consistently contributed to the area’s business environment, and
demonstrates personal involvement and commitment to the progress and
quality of life in our community.
This former Indiana State Handball Champion can best be described as
a visionary. Don Cressy began his illustrious career in the late
‘60s after his graduation from the University of Dayton. Soon he
built Cressy & Everett Real Estate into one of the largest
residential firms in the Midwest. In the late ‘70s, he refocused his
attention to shopping center and commercial development. In 1979, he
co-developed University Park Mall, northern Indiana’s largest
regional shopping center. This was just the first of many shopping
centers developed by his firm.
During the ‘80s, Cressy began master planning high-quality,
community-minded developments, partnering with the City of
Mishawaka, working together to master-plan a 700-acre mixed-use
development known as Edison Lakes. Upon completion, over $900
million of new development will be constructed in the Edison Lakes
corridor.
Beyond his vision and savvy nature as a businessman, Cressy has
always given back to the community, actively participating on a
number of nonprofit and civic boards. He has served on the boards of
the Women’s Care Center, YMCA of Michiana, Big Brothers Big Sisters,
The Chamber of Commerce, The Community Foundation of St. Joseph
County, Junior Achievement, Project Future, the South Bend/Mishawaka
Board of Realtors, St. Joseph’s High School and WNIT
Television.
Cressy is a graduate of Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka, receiving
the program’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1997. He has been
recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Realtor of
the Year, American Marketing Association Marketer of the Year and
recipient of the Hospice Helping Hands Award.
Judy
Jankowski
ATHENA Award
The
ATHENA Award is presented to an individual who has attained and
embodies the highest level of professional excellence in his/her
career, has devoted time and energy to improve the quality of life
for others in the community and assists women in realizing their
leadership potential.
Judy Jankowski is one of those individuals who lights up a room when
she walks in. Her enthusiasm and spirit ignite others to move to
action. Known as “JJ” to most, Judy balances career, family and
community.
She
has worked with AT&T for most of her career, presently serving as
their director of external affairs. She’s held successful sales,
marketing and public relations roles with Apple Computer, Chase
Bank, Rink Printing, Qwest and Cincinnati Bell.
Jankowski has served as the president of the YWCA Board of Directors
for two years, actively recruiting other professional women to
support their efforts and to serve on the YWCA board. She’s been
instrumental in forging corporate relationships for the organization
and is working to get younger women involved. She was past campaign
chair for the United Way, past president of the Rotary Club, chair
of the PR and marketing board for St. Margaret’s House, member of
the executive committee for the Better Business Bureau of Northern
Indiana and a board member of The Chamber.
Jankowski was president of the Women Business Owners of Michiana (WBOM)
for two terms; the most recent in 2006, and she continues to be a
member of its board as the director of community outreach. Her
character can best be described by others who work alongside her.
According to Kathy Strukel, current WBOM president, “Judy is, for
many of us at WBOM, the epitome of a successful business woman,
mentor and community steward. In my years with WBOM, I have watched
JJ greet members and guests at each meeting, make them feel at home
and make sure they make connections with other women in the group.
She is never too busy to talk with other women in business and
always looks for the best in each person she comes in contact with.”
Laidig Systems
Economic Impact Award
The Economic
Impact Award recognizes a company’s strategic vision and its
substantial capital investment in the area economy.
Laidig
Systems, located in Mishawaka, has been providing state-of-the-art
storage and reclaim systems for nearly 50 years.
The company got
its start in 1961 when Jon Laidig wanted to come up with a solution
for the family’s local dairy farm. His interest and ability in
engineering coupled with his strong commitment and relentless drive
to develop a high-quality, cost-effective reclaimer soon resulted in
the realization of an innovative, efficient reclaim system. With
that initial success, Jon founded Laidig, Inc. in 1964.
Today Laidig
Systems is recognized as an industry leader, installing thousands of
bulk storage and reclaim systems worldwide. They provide automated
silo storage and unloading systems for wood chips, pellets, grains,
grain meals, cement, powders, cellulosic feedstock, recycled
products and a variety of other bulk materials.
When it came time
to look at expanding the company, Laidig had plenty of people
pulling him in other areas of the country and even the world. With
30 percent of his business done overseas and in Asia, many felt it
was time to branch out. Strong ties to Indiana, along with support
from local and state government, however, made investing in St.
Joseph County an easy decision.
Despite the
difficult economic times, last year Laidig made a major
multimillion-dollar investment to expand their facilities, adding
nearly 10,000 square feet of office space and over 40,000 square
feet of manufacturing space. Included in that expansion, the company
also added 45 machinists, welders and professional staff to its
90-person work force – a 50 percent increase.
The expansion
includes one of the largest powder-coat paint facilities in the
country, capable of powder coating components up to 80 feet long and
weighing as much as 15 tons. Nearly all of the equipment for this
expansion was purchased from local companies and manufactured within
St. Joseph County.
Anthony Travel
Small Business of the Year
The Small
Business of the Year Award recognizes the efforts, accomplishments
and contributions of one area small business. Presented by The
Chamber in cooperation with the Small Business Development Center.
Since 1989,
Anthony Travel, Inc. has specialized in servicing the unique travel
needs of universities, intercollegiate athletic programs, athletic
event organizers, fan groups, tournament hosts, sports programs from
youth to seniors, officials and teams at every level. Anthony Travel
offers a comprehensive one-stop-shopping approach, providing air,
hotel, ground transportation, hospitality and event management
services to meet any travel requirement in order to save their
clients time and money.
Over the years, the company has added some pretty prestigious names
to their client portfolio. These include: University of Notre Dame,
Stanford University, University of North Carolina, Georgetown
University, Harlem Globetrotters, Ford IRONMAN World Championship,
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, New York City Marathon and
many other top universities and amateur sports organizations around
the country.
Under the leadership of John Anthony, company president and CEO and
his wife Katie, Anthony Travel has enjoyed steady upward growth for
19 years, with escalated growth over the past five years. Since
2004, the company has averaged increases of over 20 percent per year
in gross sales, revenue and net income.
Despite recent bumps in the road such as the months following 9/11
and the current downturn in the country’s economy, Anthony Travel
continues to find new opportunities and add to their portfolio. They
do this by focusing on what they do best – providing top-notch
service. Recognized as a global travel industry leader, Anthony
Travel was named North America’s Leading Travel Agency at the 2007
World Travel Awards.
With all their
success, the company is also a caring and philanthropic
organization. Local Anthony Travel employees have formed a group
known as the PAPAs (Positive Attitude Positive Atmosphere). Past
activities include the annual walk for the American Cancer Society,
contributing to the Katrina Relief Fund, “Jeans for Teens,”
supporting the South Bend Juvenile Justice Center, collecting
supplies; and adopting a family and individual at Christmas for the
Center for the Homeless.
CAPITAL INVESTMENT WINNERS
These companies and organizations were also recognized for their
significant capital investment in the community during 2008.
AM
General
Baker & Daniels, LLP
Bethel College
Brown Mackie College
Candlewood Suites
Charles S. Hayes
Culver’s Restaurant
EXACTO, Inc. of South Bend
Gates Automotive Group
Granite City Food and Brewery
Horvath Communications
Hyatt Place
Inn at Saint Mary’s
INOVA Federal Credit Union
Joers Floor Center Carpet One
Jordan Toyota
Lake Michigan Mailers
Madison Center
Martin’s Super Markets
McCormick & Company
McDonald’s/KADA Partnership
Memorial Hospital
Old National Bank
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
Roseland Square, Inc.
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center
Saint Mary’s College
Sam’s Club
Sofa Select
Sonic Restaurant
South Bend Clinic
South Bend Community School Corporation
South Bend Medical Foundation
St. Joseph County Public Library
Studebaker National Museum
Trine University
University of Notre Dame
Weiss Homes
Wells Fargo Bank
WSBT, Inc.