The Wickard Companies

ANGOLA - For his support of the Angola Area Chamber of Commerce and his dedication to the community, Wayne Wickard was named Chamber Member of the Year during the chamber's annual luncheon and business expo at Potawatomi Inn on Friday.

Wickard is the proprietor of the Wickard Family of Companies, which has several locations throughout the Steuben County area. The company started in Fremont in 1982. Services offered include real estate rentals, various services for the trucking industry, and the hiring of professional employees to lease to other companies.

Wickard has been a chamber member for four years.

Wickard was visibly touched to have received the award.

"It's incredible. It's a wonderful thing," he said. "I had a nice, long speech ready, but I was too choked up."

Chamber President Kurt Mattox, who presented Wickard with the award, said Wickard had been nominated by several chamber members. Mattox spoke of The Wickard Companies' support of many local charities and causes, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, March of Dimes, the local bone marrow registry and United Way.

Wickard said community involvement is a way to promote company pride and unity.

"In times when all of us are struggling a little bit, that's when the need is greatest," he said. "It's really fun to work someplace you're proud of."

The Wickard Community Warriors team participates in a variety of community projects, including adopting a family a Christmastime.

"It's so neat to do something like that, to be able to see their faces," Wickard said with a smile.

Mattox pointed out it was Wickard who was first to come forward with a donation of "seed money" for the chamber when it fell in financial hard times in the summer of 2001. He said Wickard had spent about $75,000 in the last couple of years on chamber gift certificates, which he gives to his employees as Christmas bonuses.

"(Wickard) gives of both his hard-earned money and his personal time," Mattox said.

Angola Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Jill Boggs said Wickard embodies what a chamber member should be.

"What an inspiration," she said. "We should all do what Wayne does, and do it gladly."

Also recognized with special awards during the luncheon were the local chambers of commerce and other organizations that were instrumental in the formation of the Steuben County Chamber Association. Accepting awards for their organizations' involvement were representatives from the Fremont, Hamilton, Orland and Ashley-Hudson chambers, the Steuben County Industrial Guild, the Steuben County Community Foundation and the Steuben County Tourism Bureau.

Mattox lauded the efforts of several students in Angola Area Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Paul Herbig's economics class at Tri-State University who put together a marketing study used to help with the association's formation.

"These students did what I would estimate to be a $30,000 to $40,000 research project," Mattox said.