Wooster Chamber recognizes 2023 award recipients
At the Chamber of Commerce’s recent awards dinner, Bill Sheron, Wooster Community Hospital Health System President/CEO, was recognized as this year’s Community Wall of Fame award recipient.
The Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce recognized the achievements of the 2023 award winners at its Annual Dinner Meeting.
With 800 guests in attendance at Greystone Event Center and an impressive slate of award winners, there was plenty to celebrate. The nine recognized businesses and individuals have significantly impacted the Wooster area and were commended for their dedication to the community.
Bill Sheron, Wooster Community Hospital Health System President/CEO, was recognized as this year’s Community Wall of Fame award recipient for his many contributions to the Wooster area.
“We are grateful for Bill’s extensive community involvement since his arrival in Wooster,” said Samira Zimmerly, President of the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Wall of Fame award is “really a team award. You can’t accomplish very much without a team around you, regardless of the endeavor,” Sheron said.
For Sheron, that team, just like the hospital, has grown over the years to include the Hospital Board, the City of Wooster, the business community, nonprofit organizations, and youth sports groups.
Recognized as this year’s Business of the Year, GOJO Industries provided Wooster and Wayne County with a glimmer of hope in 2015 when it announced it would expand operations and occupy more than 1 million square feet of an abandoned warehouse and produce PURELL products here.
“The community has greatly benefited from GOJO’s move to Wooster,” Zimmerly said. “We are grateful for their investment, dedication, and partnership in building a stronger business environment.”
Robin Carlton has been actively involved in the Wooster community. “I love Wooster,” Carlton said. Good thing, because she is the recipient of this year’s Jack O’Donnell Award, given based on a person’s contributions to the community through volunteerism, enthusiasm, and love for Wooster.
A decade ago, Travis Mills looked for a way to get his name out there, along with the insurance company where he worked, so he connected with the Chamber’s Young Professionals group. That decision led to further involvement with the Wooster Area Chamber of Commerce, including chairman of the Wayne County Home & Garden Show, and to Mills being named the recipient of this year’s Mike Lezak Award for Volunteerism. The award is named for the late Chamber leader who had a passion for serving the community.
Nearly 20 years after it first opened, the Everything Surplus Store on Portage Road has been named this year’s Small Business of the Year with 15 or more employees. While owner Jason Carrick said he is excited about the honor, he seemed happier for his team to be recognized.
“It’s awesome to get that recognition,” Carrick said. “For my employees who work in the store every day, it was awesome when I got to tell them they won Small Business of the Year.”
Acres of Fun is passionate about giving back to the community and that is why it is recognized as this year’s Small Business of the Year with fewer than 15 employees. Since purchasing the business in July 2019, Natasha Wood and her husband, Neil, have made continuous upgrades to the amusement center. They have fixed games, moved games around, painted, and installed new carpet. They have been hard at work renovating the park to restore it to its original glory while adding new attractions, both inside and out.
Critchfield, a Wooster-based law firm with roots tracing back to the Civil War era, is this year’s recipient of the Board of Directors Award. The award is given to a person or company that has made significant contributions to the Chamber and community over the years, and Critchfield has done just that. Community involvement and engagement is part of Critchfield’s culture, Managing Member Amy Demlow said.
Tricia Pycraft, an attorney at Critchfield, enrolled in the Leadership Wooster program in 2007. That decision helped the Triway grad understand this area better than she had before. Pycraft has remained an active member of the community, which has led her to be this year’s recipient of the Leadership Wooster Distinguished Alumni Award.
“I was not expecting to learn as much as I did, considering that I lived here my whole life,” said Pycraft. “It was an eye-opening experience.”
This year’s WorthyWorks Award recipient is OHuddle, a one-on-one mentorship program that works with nearly 600 students in eight school districts across Wayne County. Founder and Executive Director Sara Reith was a school psychologist for Wooster City Schools in 2023 when she started an after-school mentoring program with a group of retired teachers. In 2015, the program evolved into volunteer mentorship when Reith invited a youth minister at Parkview Christian Church to mentor three boys at Edgewood Elementary. OHuddle soon became a nonprofit organization.