By Katy Maggart—
MUNCIE, IN— The Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce held their 131st Annual Dinner & Awards on Tuesday, November 18. Six awards were presented, and a new chair of the board of directors was installed.
The Spirit of Small Business Award was presented to an individual(s) who own and/or operate a small business in the greater Muncie area. The award finalists included Enterprise Plumbing and Intersection. This year’s award recipient was Enterprise Plumbing.
The Economic Impact Award was presented to an individual, organization, or company that has made significant contributions to the economic well-being of the greater Muncie area. This year’s finalists were Boyce, Buyer’s Market, and the YMCA of Muncie. The award was presented to the YMCA of Muncie.
The Excellence in Public Service Award was presented to an individual, organization, or company that has made significant contributions to the well-being and/or quality of life in the greater Muncie area. The finalists for the award were Kylene Swackhamer with the Metropolitan Planning Commission and Mike Ashley with Delaware County EMS. Kylene Swackhamer was presented with the award.
The Excellence in Education Award was presented to a teacher, administrator, organization, or company that has made significant contributions to education or workforce development in the greater Muncie area. The finalists for the award were Dr. Tim Long with Daleville Junior/Senior High, Austin Williams with Wes-Del Community Schools, and Chris Walker with Muncie Central High School. The award was presented to Chris Walker.
The Young Professional of the Year Award was presented to an individual under the age of 35 who has made significant contributions to the well-being of the greater Muncie area. The finalists were Jonathan Chambless with CRU Construction, Anna King-Cross with East Central Indiana Regional Planning District, and Treva McJury with Horizon Convention Center. Jonathan Chambless was presented with the award.
The New Member of the Year Award was presented to a member who has joined the Chamber in the last 12 months and has shown great engagement and enthusiasm for Chamber events and activities. The Award was presented to Summit Christian School.
The Chamber solicited nominations from their membership in October. Those nominations forms were then scored by an ad hoc committee of Chamber Board Members to determine the top finalists and subsequently the winner of each award.
Additionally, Jeff Scott reflected on his year as Chairman of the Board. He shared that over the past 12 months; the Chamber welcomed 45 new members. Scott then introduced Allison Robbins, owner of Aspect 6 Creative, as the 2026 Board Chair. Robbins presented Scott with a plaque thanking him for his service over the past year.
First Merchants Bank was this year’s presenting sponsor. A list of all sponsors can be seen on the Chamber’s website, munciechamber.org.
About Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce
Since 1894, the Chamber has been integral to Greater Muncie because of our strategic business-building plans and services. We strive to be a source of innovative business development for our community by engaging large, medium, and small businesses in countless industries. The Chamber builds an extensive Muncie business network through member connections and expansion. Building business. Building community.
