News

• 2011 Ambassador of the Year - Honorable Bruce Wilkerson, City of Bowling Green Mayor

  City of Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson

  John Mark Fones

  Mark Cornwell

  Dan Harbison

• 2011 Board Volunteer of the Year - John Mark Fones, Commonwealth Health Corporation
• 2011 Volunteer of the Year - Mark Cornwell, Canteen Service Company
• 2011 Chamber Volunteer Salesperson of the Year - Dan Harbison, Farmers National Bank

"The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce could not achieve its level of success without our volunteers," said Penn. "We're honored that Mayor Wilkerson, John Mark, Dan and Mark are willing to commit to our organization and to serve on a daily basis."

"Chamber volunteers are dedicated to this organization, and I continue to be amazed at how many hours they spend volunteering for recruitment, retention, leadership and program activities," said Ron Bunch, CEcD, Chamber president and CEO. "We're extremely fortunate to have such loyal volunteers who contribute to our organization daily. Their involvement is a testament to the pride they have in this Chamber, our community, and our South Central Kentucky region."

City of Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson has been a Chamber Ambassador for many years and also serves on the Chamber Board of Directors as an ex-officio member. In addition to his Chamber involvement, Mayor Wilkerson is a member of Living Hope Baptist Church and many civic organizations. He is a graduate of the 1995 Leadership Bowling Green class.

Chamber Partnership Development Director Joe Younger, who oversees the Ambassadors Club, said, "Mayor Wilkerson is a loyal Chamber volunteer. He attends nearly all Chamber events and is always offering assistance whenever we need it. We're extremely grateful for his hardworking efforts to support our organization."

John Mark Fones is senior vice president of managed care for Commonwealth Health Corporation and is a certified managed care executive with America's Health Insurance Plans. As a vice president of the Chamber Board of Directors Executive Committee, Fones has been an integral contributor to the Chamber's efforts to bring The Leader in Me™ program, based on Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, into the Bowling Green Independent Schools and the Warren County Public Schools. Fones has been a member of the Chamber Board of Directors since 2007.

"We're fortunate to have John Mark as a member of the Chamber Board of Directors," said Rodney Rogers, 2011 Chamber Board of Directors chairman. "He is truly dedicated to furthering the interests of the Chamber and to bringing the Seven Habits into our schools because he understands the importance of leadership development for our future workforce."

Mark Cornwell, district manager vending for Canteen Service Company, was honored as the 2011 Volunteer of the Year. He is a Chamber Ambassador and president of the Leadership Bowling Green Alumni Association. Cornwell is an active participant in Chamber volunteer opportunities, including the Partnership Recruitment Committee.

"Mark supports the Chamber's initiatives and activities in many ways," said Chamber Vice President, Operations Tonya Matthews, ACE, IOM, CCE. "And he goes above and beyond by actively working to make our Chamber a success, from recruiting new partners to securing sponsorships for our programs and events."

During the 2011 iBelong Campaign, six teams competed to collect the most new partnership dollars. Dan Harbison, president and CEO of Farmers National Bank, recruited 13 new partners to the Chamber in 2011, generating more than $7,000 in revenue for the organization. He was a team leader for the 2011 iBelong Campaign and won the competition between six teams to recruit the most new partner dollars. He's also secured two Business After Hours sponsorships and is actively involved in recruitment and retention activities. Harbison is an Ambassador Apprentice for the Chamber.

"We raised more than $20,000 in new partnership dollars during the 2011 iBelong Campaign," said Partnership Development Director Joe Younger. "Dan contributed significantly to that dollar amount by recruiting new partners with great enthusiasm."

In addition to being presented their awards today, the winners will be recognized at the 2012 Annual Dinner, scheduled for Thursday, February 2, at Sloan Convention Center. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.bgchamber.com.

• Individual tickets: $65
• Tables of 10: $650
• President's Club Gold, Platinum and Diamond Level Partner Tables of 10: $585

Tickets will be available until noon on Wednesday, January 25. For more information regarding Annual Dinner, please call 270-781-3200 or e-mail info@bgchamber.com.