Chamber awards presented

Chamber awards presented

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

The late Stephen A. Lester Sr. was remembered Monday evening as an active industry and community leader. Lester, who died July 31, was the posthumous recipient of the Stanley N. King Sr. Outstanding Citizenship Award during the annual Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce Inc. Membership Dinner Meeting.
At the time of his death, Lester was owner/employee of Wordsprint and Professional Networks/Wiredog in Wytheville and Galax. He was retired from Ewald-Lester/Blue Ridge Insurance Agencies in Wytheville.
Lester was a member of the Virginia Association of Insurance Agencies where he served on the board and as president. He was serving on the boards of the Wythe County American Cancer Society, First Century Bank and the Brock Hughes Free Clinic.
As an active member of the Wytheville Rotary Club, Lester received the Paul Harris Fellow Award. He also was a former member of the Wytheville Jaycees.
Lester was instrumental in establishing the Wythe County Community Hospital and served as chairman for many years. He was one of the founders of the George Wythe High School sports complex and was a member of the George Wythe Boosters Club.
The Outstanding Business Leadership Award was won by Tommy Anders of Anders Realty. The honor is bestowed on an active leader in a for-profit enterprise, large or small business, recognizing the person for outstanding contributions to Wythe and Bland counties in civic, public and community service.
Anders is an active member of the Wytheville Rotary Club and was named a Paul Harris Fellow. He has served on the Wytheville Community College Foundation Board and has worked with the Downtown Improvement groups in Wytheville.
After finishing a long and successful career in banking, Anders started a second career in real estate. His office has been in the top ten national offices for the past two years.
Receiving the chamber’s 2008 Agriculture Achievement Award was David Danner. The award recognizes those involved in agriculture and the community.
A Wythe County native, Danner is a graduate of Fort Chiswell High School and Wytheville Community College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and master’s degree in adult education from Virginia Tech.
Danner is a retired Extension Agent having worked primarily in Grayson and Bland counties but also in Tazewell, Wythe and Giles counties. He established the Bland County Farm Management Group that continues meeting with relevant up-to-date agriculture information and established the Bland County 4-H Interstate Program that is copied by many Extension units throughout Virginia.
Danner is a member of the Chamber Ag Task Force. He is the founder and a trainer of the Master Gardener group in Wythe and Bland counties.
Another retired Extension Agent, Betty J. Munsey of Bland, received the Community Service Award for her tireless devotion to others. She has been referred to as the “Bland County Energizer Bunny.”
A wife, mother of two adult children, foster mother and farmer, Munsey is an active member of Central United Methodist Church where she teaches Sunday school. She also is spends countless volunteer hours working with the Bland County Festival of Leaves, the Bland County Fair Association, the Bland County Farm Management Group and the Chamber’s Ag Task Force.
Munsey retired Jan. 1, 2001, as Bland County’s 4-H Extension Agent. She worked with the program from 1969 to 1978 and again from 1993 to her retirement.
Having taught home economics in Bland County for 13 years, Munsey also taught elementary music for a year. She earned her bachelor’s degree in management housing and family development from Virginia Tech in 1969 and her master’s degree in adult education from Tech in 1974.
The Community Impact Award for 2008 went to Don Spiller for his significant, positive impact to the quality of life in the chamber’s service area. Spiller has been scoutmaster of Troop 60 for 34 years.
In 1989, he received the Mountain Empire District Award of Merit in Boy Scouting. Spiller was named Blue Ridge Mountain Council Scoutmaster of the Year in 2000 and in 2006 received the prestigious Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award.
The 2008 Innovative Leadership Award recipient was Tom Hough, president and owner of MTC Transformers. Under his leadership, MTC Transformers was recognized by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce as one of the companies making the 2008 Fantastic Fifty list of the fastest growing companies in the state.
Founded in 1985, MTC Transformers began by manufacturing and repairing small dry-type transformers. The company flourished over the last decade and moved to an 80,000 square-foot building in Fairview Industrial Park.
Today, the company employs over 100 skilled transformer craftsmen, technicians, engineers and support personnel located throughout three locations. It changed the corporate name logo in April from Magnetic Technologies Corp. to MTC Transformers.
Other awards presented Monday evening went to Tom Lovelace of Blue Ridge Marketing as Outstanding Industry Leadership; Amanda Dean, Outstanding Chamber Volunteer for 2008; and Diane Allen and Karen McCardle, Outstanding Teachers for 2008.
Gatorade Blue Ridge was presented the Special Recognition Award from the Joint Industrial Development Authority of Wythe County Wytheville and Rural Retreat. The company was recognized for its employment and community support.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .