The past was on display during Thursday night’s Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s 75th Annual Meeting and Gala, as local leaders were honored for community service. But the evening also included an optimistic look to the future for the Chamber and Cullman.

Ray Buchmann received the Emma Marie Eddleman Citizenship Award for his work as president of People’s Tires and his tireless work in the community. 

The Eddleman Award is given annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the community and the Chamber, and Buchmann accepted the award with his wife of 53 years, Benton. 

“It’s been a good journey,” he said. 

To celebrate the Chamber’s 75th anniversary, President Leah Bolin introduced charter members of the Chamber, who have been members since its founding in 1943 and honored past chairs who were in attendance.

“Thank you for your vision, and for helping inspire our community to accomplish the impossible,” she said. 

Bolin also described some of the Chamber’s plans for the future, including its Converging for Success five-year strategic plan, which sets goals for the continued growth and development of Cullman County. 

The Chamber is also expanding its Think Local campaign to show people the importance of thinking locally when it comes to dining or shopping. 

“Each one of us has a vital role to play in creating a vibrant community and a healthy economy that works for us all,” she said. “There are many ways to be a localist, but the simplest way is to start with a commitment to think local first.”

The workforce is shrinking as Baby Boomers retire, and Cullman will be competing with every other area for talented workers, but the Converging for Success plan will enable the Chamber to provide a great place to live, work and play, Bolin said.  

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it, and that’s just what we’re doing,” she said. “We are going to do things we have never done before, and they are going to be remarkable.”

Outgoing Chamber Chair Jason Spann passed the gavel to Susan Copeland, who will serve as chair for 2018. 

Copeland, who also served in 2003, shared her vision of what she would like to see from the Chamber during her time as chair, which includes building a strong sense of community and a focus on volunteerism.

“Wouldn’t our community be a better place if we all sought to leave things better than we found them? If we all made the decision to be an active part of the solution rather than a passive part of the problem,” she said. “Just think how far we could go in the implementation of our strategic plan.”

The gala also featured the presentation of awards that honored other individuals and companies who serve the community and the Chamber. 

One of the gala’s major awards for the evening also went to a company that has been a Cullman staple for more than 70 years. Willoughby Roofing, in business since 1946, was named Small Business of the Year. 

For the other awards, Wallace State Community College’s Kathy Taylor was also named the 2017-18 Ambassador of the year for her work both in the community and with the Chamber, and the Lucille Galin Public Service Award was awarded to Cullman County Economic Development Director Cherrie Haney.