PRESS RELEASE: The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 106th Annual Meeting

​Bloomington, IN – The Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce held its 106th Annual Meeting and Community Awards this afternoon. This year the Chamber used a hybrid model for the celebration, with sponsors, board members, and award recipients attending in-person at the Monroe County Convention Center and Chamber members participating virtually.
 
“This past year has been a challenging experience for many of our members as we continue to deal with the COVID pandemic,” said Erin Predmore, President & CEO of the Chamber. “Here at the Chamber, we are glad to be a steady resource for our members as we navigate the situation together, and we are grateful to have opportunities like our annual meeting to connect with you, even if in a hybrid setting.”
 
Outgoing board chair and Regional President of German American Bank, Cindy Kinnarney, called the meeting to order, and noted her gratitude for the Chamber staff and her fellow board members during her time as chair. She also kicked off the Community Awards ceremony, honoring a variety of business owners and community leaders from the past year.

Kinnarney later officially passed the gavel to Amy Somers-Kopp, the incoming board chair for the Chamber and a realtor with RE/MAX Acclaimed Properties. Kopp presented the final awards for the afternoon and adjourned the annual meeting as her first action as board chair.
 
The Chamber recognized several honorees during the awards portion of the event. The 2021 Community Award honorees included:
 
New Business of the Year – Switchyard Brewing Company
Lloyd Olcott Community Service Award – Bethany Penrod, Middle Way House
Success School Golden Key Award – Jerry Hays, Owen County State Bank
Nancy Howard Diversity Award – Big Brothers Big Sisters South Central Indiana
Community Anchor Award – Downtown Bloomington, Inc.
Morgan Hutton Visionary Award – Jane Kupersmith, City of Bloomington
Diane Breeden-Lee Catalyst Award – Emily Pike, New Hope for Families
Lifetime Achievement Award – Melanie Walker, TASUS and Mick Renneisen, City of Bloomington
Chamber Ambassador of the Year – Pamela Boswell-Dike
 
The Chamber would like to extend a special thank you to the event and table sponsors of the Annual Meeting. Event sponsors included Cook Group, Indiana University – Government Relations and Economic Engagement, IU Health Bloomington, Markey’s Rental & Staging, Duke Energy, German American Bank, The Herald Times, BKD CPA’s & Advisors, Bloomington Health Foundation, Building Associates, Inc., Bunger & Robertson, Cassady Electrical Contractors, The City of Bloomington, Hoosier Energy, IU Credit Union, Nature’s Way, the Monroe County YMCA, Baxter BioPharma Solutions, Bill C. Brown Associates, Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, Blue & Co., CFC Properties, Choice Realty, Community Foundation, F.C. Tucker/Bloomington Realtors, First Financial Bank, Hurlow Wealth Management, ISU/The May Agency, Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington, Mallor Grodner, Owen County State Bank, Peoples State Bank, ProBleu, RE/MAX Acclaimed Properties, and Smithville.
 
The Chamber would also like to recognize Elite and Chairman members, who have chosen to invest further in the Chamber: Cook Group, IU Credit Union, IU Health Bloomington, Catalent Biologics, First Financial Bank, Indiana University – Government Relations and Economic Engagement, and Old National Bank.
 
Additional photos and videos from the Annual Meeting and Community Awards may be found soon on the Chamber’s website, www.ChamberBloomington.org.

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