Chamber dinner message: Be proactive, shop locally

The Pinckneyville Chamber of Commerce hosted an outstanding banquet Saturday in the conference room of the Super Eight Motel with approximately 70 in attendance.

The message from President Jessica Holder and other chamber officers was clear: Be proactive in the coming year and shop locally. The evening began with a social hour and a great dinner of pork steaks, carrots, scalloped potatoes, a house salad and dessert, all perfectly prepared.

Platinum, gold and silver members were honored with certificates. Holder thanked the perennial volunteers who shoulder much of the chamber's work and asked for more voluntarism in the coming year.

Three special awards were presented.

The Business of the Year Award went to Kay Eubanks of Kay's Massage and Wellness. Eubanks said a lot of her work deals with stress management. Clients come from all over Southern Illinois come to her for their treatment and advice.

The Person of the Year is Robert ( Bob ) Giacomo. He has been and is an active supporter for the betterment of Pinckneyville since 1968. Bob has worked behind the scenes for over 20 years helping to keep the efforts of amateur radio operators in the area. He has been chairman of several groups that provide communications to the Mardi Gras parade and related events.

He has volunteered his time at the Pinckneyville Knights of Columbus organization and sponsored Pinckneyville little league softball by sponsoring T- ball and little league ball teams over the years. He also has been active in the Threshermans organization.

Educator of the Year is Mr. Ryan Bruns at Pinckneyville Community High School.

Mr. Bruns is a long-time resident and educator in Pinckneyville and is a teacher with high standards and values. His primary goal is to provide every student the opportunity for a great education. One of Ryan's greatest strengths is his determined work ethic. He is typically one of the first teachers to show up in the morning and one of the last to leave, working "bell to bell," according to presenter Dustin Foutch. He has high expectations for students and even higher expectations for himself.