2022 GWC Annual Dinner celebrates champions of community growth

Wabash County, IN (Oct. 18, 2022) – Grow Wabash County (GWC) had the pleasure of hosting its many investors, partners and community supporters during the 2022 Annual Dinner Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 13.

The emcee for this year’s event was Bill Barrows from the Wabash County YMCA, who kicked off the night’s proceedings.

Before handing out awards, GWC Board Chair, Marilyn Custer-Mitchell, briefly reflected on the exciting leaps made by GWC in 2022 to spark growth and new development in Wabash County.

Following her remarks, Custer-Mitchell then called upon the Grow Wabash County board members in attendance to convene their annual meeting and complete necessary business which included nominating new board members. Patty Grant and Tod Minnich were both nominated and voted into a second board term and Howard Halderman was welcomed in as the newest member of the GWC Board. 

After the annual meeting of the Grow Wabash County Board of Directors was adjourned, Keith Gillenwater, President and CEO of Grow Wabash County, presented his State of Grow Wabash County remarks

Grow Wabash County also made a point to celebrate some of the organization’s partners that have gone above and beyond in supporting GWC’s mission and commitment to helping our communities grow.

After his organizational updates, Gillenwater presented the 2022 Volunteer of the Year award to Bob Lundquist. As the owner of Lundquist Appraisals and Real Estate, Lundquist has been an incredible partner for GWC, especially in his aid in helping GWC and municipal partners acquire properties necessary to launch the many housing development projects in the works as well as connecting employers and prospective employees with housing to attract more talent to Wabash County. 

As the 2022 Business of the Year, Crossroads Bank and its team were the guests of honor and were recognized throughout the evening for their decades of involvement in the community. Crossroads established its first office in Wabash in 1920 and has since grown not only to have locations all over northeast Indiana but in the services it can provide to its customers to help them achieve goals whether they be buying a house or starting a business or simply building up their savings for financial security.

For the event’s finale, as is tradition, the 2022 Distinguished Citizen was named. Parker Beauchamp, who received the Distinguished Citizen award in 2017, shared facts and stories about this year’s recipient before announcing that the 2022 Distinguished Citizen was Dave Haist, whose long history of service in Wabash County, especially his involvement on many boards and community organizations, made him an excellent candidate for the award. 

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

Gold Sponsors: City of Wabash; MPS Egg Farms

Social Hour Sponsors: Gaunt & Son Asphalt; Intertech Products, Inc.

Silver Sponsors: Beacon Credit Union; Bippus State Bank; Ford Meter Box Company; Intrasect Technologies; Josiah White’s; Lundquist Appraisals & Real Estate; The Paper of Wabash County; Parkview Wabash Hospital; Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana; Town of North Manchester; Visit Wabash County

Bronze Sponsors: 10X Engineered Materials; Community Foundation of Wabash County; Duke Energy; Hoosier Jiffy Print; Michael Kinder & Sons; Nature’s Remedy; Owens Corning – Thermafiber; Tulip Tree Title; Wabash Carnegie Public Library; Wabash County Commissioners; Wabash County Museum; Wabash Hardware & Rental

Copper Sponsors: Gebhart Holdings; NIPSCO; TTG Equipment