Thursday night was a time to pause and highlight perseverance and community service in the county.

Thursday night was the Warren County Chamber of Business & Industry’s annual Celebration of Excellence Gala.

“We try to be a pretty active chamber, try to be engaging with our members,” John Papalia, director of chamber operations and tourism.

“Our primary goal is to keep the businesses that we have here strong, help facilitate new business startups,” he added.

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Renee Taylor was presented with an Excellence in New Business Award for the success of Taylor’s Treats during Thursday’s Celebration of Excellence Gala.

Papalia said he’s been doing more startups in recent months than ever before.

Milestone awards were presented to several businesses, highlighted by Northwest Bank with 125 years in operation.

Other businesses awarded were Betts Industries for 120 years, Jones Chevrolet for 101 years, the Warren County Fair for 90 years, Northwest Arena for 20 years and Travel Secrets by Patty for 15 years.

An Exemplary Leadership Award was given to Warren County School District Superintendent Amy Stewart.

“The last two years, everyone knows what a challenge it’s been,” Decker said, suggesting there is no one “that has been under the pressure Amy Stewart… has been under trying to keep an education system” going across the state’s second largest school district.

Stewart said superintendents across the state have “had our head down doing our job. That’s what we do. I can’t believe what we’ve been through in the last year and a half.”

She said she believes their “most important work lies ahead of us,” as the impacts of the pandemic are unpacked.

Three new businesses – Cultured Travel, Goat Fort Climbing and Taylor’s Treats – were presented with recognition for Excellence in New Business.

Gary and Penny Lester as well as Ash Khare were recognized with the Community Service Award.

Those speeches were not completed by press time and will be featured in a story in Saturday’s Times Observer.