By By BEN RAYMOND LODE / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The Four Flags Chamber of Commerce's annual meeting Friday at the Niles Inn and Conference Center honored six people and one business for achievements in the Greater Niles community.
Pete Logalbo, owner of Pete's Patio restaurant, 2433, N. Fifth St., received the Chamber's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the community.
Logalbo, who celebrated his Italian restaurant's 49th anniversary on March 1, thanked the Chamber and his wife, Linda, for their support over the years.
Ron Sather, the Chamber's president and speaker during the awards portion of the evening, said Logalbo moved to Niles 49 years ago to start up a pizza restaurant because the city didn't have one then.
Jane Tenney and Terry Eull received the Woman and Man of the Year awards.
Tenney was honored for her work on Longmeadow development on Niles-Buchanan Road, a residential and commercial development project that has seen several homes completed, with further development being planned.
Sather said the new plans include commercial development in the form of a medical complex and an office park.
Terry Eull was honored for his work as city administrator.
Sather said Eull's work has contributed to the onset of a number of projects which have and will in the future enhance the Niles community.
Lakeland Hospital in Niles received the Business of the Year award.
Hospital administrator Deb Johnson, accepting the award, said the hospital would not be what it is today without the support of people in Niles.
The hospital, soon to open its new facilities on the riverfront, employs 530 people.
Dr. Eugene M. Sweeney, Brandywine's superintendent, also gave away scholarships to students of Brandywine High School, Niles High School, Lake Michigan College and Southwestern Michigan College.
Sherry Hocking, former Chamber chair of the board of directors, gave her outgoing remarks, before she passed on the gavel to John Grinnell, a public accountant with DeBoer Baumann &Company PLC in Niles.
Sather also took the opportunity to speak about some of the things the Chamber has done over the last year.
He said the Chamber trained 140 Chamber members to work with different computer programs, as well as customer service.
In addition, the Chamber will renew all members' websites.
The new websites should be completed by August first.
Sather said 96 new members joined the Chamber last year.