Canton chamber celebrates Business Excellence Award winners

Kelly Byer, The Repository
·3 min read
Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards
Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards

CANTON − The Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce on Thursday recognized five area businesses that have proven to be innovative and long-lasting.

The winners were Canton-based AultCare Health Insurance, Massillon-based Fresh Mark Inc., Marathon Petroleum/Canton Refinery, East Sparta-based Williams Toyota Lift and Canton-based Vern Dale Water Experts.

In addition, the MAGNET Manufacturer of the Year was ZCath Manufacturing in Green and the Stark County Minority Business Association's Business of the Year was Family Life Home and Health Services in Canton.

X'nai Hatcher of Alliance High School was awarded the Business Excellence Award Scholarship.

Chamber President and CEO Dennis Saunier presented the 30th annual Business Excellence Awards after a social hour and dinner at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Canton. Nominees for the awards do not need to be chamber members and were selected by a 17-member committee.

"Tonight's awards recognize the best of the best in our region," he said.

Each award-winning business shared a common "thread of excellence," Saunier said. That included capital improvements, employee retention, and facility and investment growth.

Ralph Lee, chairman of the chamber board, also congratulated the awardees. He said their success represented a successful economic development strategy.

"Each of tonight's honorees has experienced significant growth, expansion and longevity," Lee said.

The five businesses were introduced by a video describing their work and then representatives from each accepted the award. Highlights included:

  • Andrew Williams, general manager of Williams Toyota Lift, said the company recently made changes that include the addition of two warehouses after deciding to stock more forklifts and industrial vehicles. "We're proud to be part of this remarkable group of recipients," he said in the video presentation.

  • Vern Dale, president of Vern Dale's Water Center, said the water treatment company is constantly trying to improve and the family's business motto has been, "If you're not growing, you're dying." He said the award was an honor. "We really appreciate this, and we look forward to serving the community of the future."

  • Robert Dugan, operations team leader at Marathon Petroleum, said on video that he grew up in Perry Township and cares about the community. The refinery, which now has more than 300 employees, often sends volunteers to area school districts. "We are your neighbors," Dugan said.

  • Alicia Pucky, vice president and chief people and corporate responsibility officer at Fresh Mark, said the company prioritizes safety and innovation. She discussed the nationwide meat producer's Making a Difference fund, which supports local charitable causes. "At Fresh Mark, people come first," Pucky said.

  • Jim Savage, president and CEO of AultCare, said the health care insurance provider was born out of a desire to protect the community and has evolved throughout the years. A recent addition is the Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement for small businesses in partnership with the chamber. Mike Gallina, vice president of AultCare, said the company cares about "community, with an exclamation point." Employees are given four paid hours to volunteer with a nonprofit, and Aultcare provides a You Matter school scholarship.

Reach Kelly at 330-580-8323 or kelly.byer@cantonrep.comOn Twitter: @kbyerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton chamber celebrates Business Excellence Award winners