News

Niles Chamber honors business and community leaders

By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
Thursday, March 24, 2005 10:51 AM EST

NILES - The Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce honored a several outstanding community members and celebrated local business at its annual meeting on Wednesday.

The Niles Chamber of Commerce presented awards at its annual dinner Wednesday evening. Pictured from left to right are: 2004 Man of the Year, Tim Tyler; Lifetime Achievement award winner, Ethan Shelton for Shelton's Farm Market; 2004 Women of the Year Lisa Croteau, executive director of DDA; Community Service Award winner Don Kirkendall for the Niles Haunted House; Small Business of the Year, Tim Polega for God's Green Earth and Business of the Year winner, Dan Formsma for AACOA Extrusion Inc.

The dinner and ceremony took place at the Niles Elks Lodge, 1322 Canal St. in Niles and was attended by a record 170 people.

Chamber of Commerce Board President Doug Law had the honor of announcing the evening's awards.

Lisa Croteau was named Women of the Year. She was bestowed this honor for all of her hard work with the city's Downtown Development Authority. Since being hired in 2000, she has started a Merchants Association, organized and founded many events for the city like the recently wildly-successful Hunter Ice Festival. She also has played a large role in the downtown renovations which are almost complete.

AACOA Extrusions was named Business of the Year. It received their award because since they broke ground in 1998 in the cities Bertrand Industrial Park, they have expanded their business and increased their sales. They have also gone from just 30 employees to over 100 creating many jobs in the community. Accepting the award for AACOA was Dan Formsma.

For his long success in business and volunteer endeavors, Man of the Year was Tim Tyler. Tyler most recently took on championing the construction of a new Niles-Buchanan YMCA facility, a project which is expected to break ground this spring.

God's Green Earth was named Small Business of the Year. Chamber honored the business for its stellar customer service. Law said, "When the husband and wife team who run the business purchased what was then Gleason's, it was only making $60,000. They now run a $1 million a year business. They also support the community in ways, such as giving the planting material used to landscape the downtown area."

Owner Tim Polega accepted the award.

For their constant community support and their benefits to the community of Niles, the Niles Haunted House was given the Community Service Award. Since beginning in the mid 1970s this organization has often been called a mini United Way and has given out over $497,000 dollars in scholarships and other donations to organizations in Southwest Michigan. Don Kirkendall accepted the award on behalf of the Haunted House.

For only the third time, the Lifetime Achievement award was given to a Chamber member. The business who received this award was started 58 years ago, with just a 40-acre farm and at the time was one of 13 roadside fruit and vegetable stands between Niles and South Bend, Ind. Shelton Farm Market has continued to grow over the years and is truly a family endeavor, Law said. The award on behalf of Shelton's was accepted by the company's founder, 101-year-old Ethan Shelton.

The ceremony also included the awarding of five scholarships to outstanding area students from Niles and Brandywine. The Wal-Mart Supercenter of Niles donated some of the scholarship funds.

The Brandywine High School students who were each awarded a $500 scholarship were Chad Yeager and Kristin Bivens.

The Niles High School students who were awarded $500 scholarships as well were Tyler Payne and Alicia Pelley. Jeffrey Antos of Niles High School received the $1,000 scholarship, which was donated by Pilkington, a manufacturing firm in Niles which supplies the auto industry.

Print this story   |   Email this story