2021 GWC Annual Dinner Recognizes Wabash County’s Best

WABASH COUNTY, IN – Grow Wabash County was honored to join so many people from the community during its Annual Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 14, to celebrate a whole slate of incredible people and businesses that have helped Wabash County thrive in 2021.

Following social hour in the Honeywell Center lobby and dinner in Legacy Hall,  Jim Smith kicked things off as the master of ceremonies and talked about the pride he has long held when telling people he meets that he is from North Manchester, and in turn, Wabash County.

Grow Wabash County Board Chair, Marilyn Custer-Mitchell, reflected on the year as well and how Grow Wabash County has continued to push forward with many big picture projects despite the challenges that 2021 has brought about. Following her remarks, Custer-Mitchell called upon the Grow Wabash County board members in attendance to convene its annual meeting and complete necessary business.

After the annual meeting of the Grow Wabash County Board of Directors was adjourned, Keith Gillenwater, President and CEO of Grow Wabash County, offered up remarks about some of the wins that Grow Wabash County, and Wabash County as a whole has enjoyed throughout 2021.

“I’m so proud of our organization and our accomplishments in the last few years since all of you entrusted our board, staff, and myself with the mission to grow a prosperous Wabash County,” Gillenwater said during his speech. “And it is that mission, to Grow Wabash County, that drives us every single day.”

As the 2021 Business of the Year, MPS Egg Farms and its team were the guests of honor, with much of the food paying tribute to the incredible amount of eggs that MPS Egg Farms produces and distributes on a daily basis. The company has a centuries-long history in Wabash County and legacy of service that is continued today by the Krouse family.

Grow Wabash County also took the time to highlight key figures in the community that deserved recognition for the wok and devotion they have given to the organization. Gillenwater presented the 2021 Volunteer of the Year award to Curt Campbell. Campbell has been a pillar in the Wabash County agriculture community, serving as an ag teacher at Southwood High School, and being one of the original members of the Salute to Agriculture committee that celebrates our local farms and producers every March.

For the event’s finale, as is tradition, the 2021 Distinguished Citizen was named. Doug Adams, who received the Distinguished Citizen award in 2020, shared facts and stories about this year’s recipient before announcing that the 2021 Distinguished Citizen was Liz Hobbs, whose long history of service in Wabash County, especially her work with The Access Youth Center, made her an ideal candidate for this year’s award. Hobbs shared her surprise during her remarks after the speech and the humbling experience it was to be named this year’s Distinguished Citizen.

Grow Wabash County would also like to thank all of the businesses and organizations that sponsored this year’s Annual Dinner.

Platinum Sponsors:

Cargill/Provimi North America; City of Wabash; Intertech Products, Inc.; Real Alloy

Gold Sponsors:

Josiah White’s; Troy Eads Excavating; Wabash Castings, Inc.

Social Hour Sponsors:

Gaunt & Son Asphalt; The Honeywell Foundation

Silver Sponsors:

Beacon Credit Union; Bippus State Bank; Community Foundation of Wabash County; Crossroads Bank; Duke Energy; Ford Meter Box Company; G6 Communications; Intrasect Technologies; Manchester University; Michael Kinder & Sons, Inc.; NIPSCO; The Paper of Wabash County; Paperworks Industries; Town of North Manchester; Visit Wabash County

Bronze Sponsors:

Benson & Son, LLC; First Merchants Bank; Hoosier Jiffy Print; Hy-Line North America; Indiana University Kokomo; Kirtlan Automotive Machine & Repair; Lundquist Appraisals & Real Estate; Owens Corning – Thermafiber; POET Biorefining; PSG Energy Group; Red Earth CPA; Wabash Carnegie Public Library