DAYTON, Ohio (March 2017) – Our community is blessed with many outstanding people, companies, not-for-profit organizations and plenty of important work that creates jobs, careers and solves issues that affect our region’s quality of life and economy.
I’m proud to say our community has also celebrated many of these people and their organizations over the years. The latest way we’re honoring those who’ve made a difference is through the creation of Dayton Business Hall of Fame.
The region has worked hard to establish the Wright Dunbar Walk of Fame; The Presidents Club Citizen Legion of Honor (volunteerism); the Better Business Bureau’s Eclipse Integrity Awards; the Dayton Business Journal’s Best Places to Work and Business of the Year (among others); the Dayton YWCA’s Women of Influence; the Top Ten Women sponsored by the Dayton Daily News and other localized awards by many individual community service clubs, our Air Force Association and others.
The newest addition, the Dayton Business Hall of Fame, identifies individuals who have held long term roles leading their organizations and have been successful in their many businesses and entrepreneurial accomplishments. This new business community recognition, started by Dayton Magazine, recently had its inaugural selection. I am amazed it took our community this long to identify these great stewards, let alone those who came before them. However, names like Patterson, Mead, Fraze, Wright, Kettering or many others may not be on this new “modern” list, and that is unfortunate. But it is safe to say that whether we are recognizing business leaders in 2017 or in 1917, our region has a rich heritage of innovative and entrepreneurial successes and people who led the way.
Let me extend my heartiest congratulations to the Dayton Business Hall of Fame inaugural Class of 2017.
These are all outstanding leaders who have had distinguished careers in the private sector with companies that have employed our family members and citizens for decades. In fact, Rieck Services is celebrating its 125th anniversary in Dayton this year.
Congratulations to you all and I look forward to seeing who in our community will be recognized in the class of 2018’s Dayton Business Hall of Fame and share that distinct with this latest class of outstanding business leaders.
To download a PDF of this article as it appeared in the Dayton Daily News, click here.
Phillip L. Parker, CAE, CCE
President & CEO
Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce
8 N. Main Street | Suite 100 | Dayton, Ohio 45402-1904 | (937) 226-1444
