CELEBRATING THOSE WHO DO IT RIGHT

Recognizing local businesses for their ethical standards the Northeast Indiana Better Business Bureau handed out the Torch Award. The Torch Award goes to businesses that practice integrity, honesty, and ethics on a daily basis.

Emceeing the event was WPTA-TV & WISE-TV’s Keith Edwards and Melissa Long. Over 400 businessmen and women were in attendance for the luncheon ceremony at the Grand Wayne Center in downtown Fort Wayne.

Area customers, vendors and employees, nominated twenty-eight businesses. The nominated companies were divided into four groups depending on the number of employees.

Curtis Brown, President at Tower Bank, along with Mike Coil, BBB President presented the first award to Romary Associates, Inc. Ed Romary, President received the top award with 1 to 10 employees. Romary Associates is located at 8620 Bluffton Road and has been in business in the Waynedale area since 1968. They provide a turn-key operation, constructing and/or remodeling financial institutions throughout Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. In the video presentation Ed stated, …”There are a couple of things in the business community that you can’t sell, that’s trust and confidence—you have to earn those.”

The 11 to 50 employee category winner was Stanley Steemer.

Winning the ethics honor for 51 to 250 workers was Sweetwater Sound Inc.

Do It Best Corp. won the award for businesses with 250 plus employees.

According to the Better Business Bureau the winners from each of these categories will go on to an international level.

In addition to the Torch Awards, five high school seniors received Student of Integrity awards, a $1,000 scholarship to the college of their choice. This award went to John Colter from Woodlan High School, Woodburn, IN; Amanda Mitchell, Northridge High School, Goshen, IN; Melinda Hohler, Dekalb High School, Auburn, IN; Elizabeth Lumpkin, Lewis Cass High School, Galveston, IN; Stephanie Polei, Logansport High School, Logansport, IN.