Chamber To Honor Businesses

Two businesses and two individuals will be honored by the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce during its annual banquet on Friday night at the former JCPenney building in the Eastgate Shopping Center.
North Central Missouri College and Howard’s Department Store will be recognized as the chamber’s large and small businesses of the year. Trenton residents Don Woodard and Mary Lou Crawford will receive the chamber’s “Pillar of the Community” Award for their many years of service to Trenton and Grundy County.
“Do You Believe in Magic” is the theme of this year’s event, which gets under way at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour and dinner at 6:30 p.m. Nearly 300 reservations have been made for the banquet. In addition to the recognitions, the evening will include a review of the year by Chamber Executive Director Debbie Carman, recognition of board members and Ambassadors a performance by hypnotist Brad Clark of Platte City and a live auction.
Featured today in the Republican-Times will be the large and small business honorees. The Pillars of the Community will be featured on Wednesday.
NCMC
If you were to ask someone which entity is most important Trenton and Grundy County, more that likely their answer would be North Central Missouri College.
Currently celebrating its 90th anniversary, NCMC continues to play a vital role in the community. Not only is it one of the city and county’s largest employers, it brings nearly 2,000 students to campus weekly as they purse their educational goals. Add to that the thousands of individuals who come to campus for the various activities held at the college and it’s clear to see how much the college means to this community. Holiday Hoops, FFA and FBLA competitions, athletic events and musical programs are just some of the activities added to Trenton’s busy schedule, thanks to NCMC and the Ketcham Community Center, which lends itself to recreation and exercise opportunities for the entire community.
NCMC has been a long-time member of the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce and has had representatives on both the chamber board and Chamber Ambassadors most of those years. Current representatives include President Dr. Neil Nuttall and Foundation Director Teresa Cross, who are members of the board, and former CFO and emeriti Sharon Barnett, who serves as the Ambassador chairman.
NCMC students, faculty and staff are also busy in the community and participate in many chamber-related activities, including Community Pride Week, the Chamber Halloween Party, downtown Christmas, etc. as well as other events sponsored by local organizations. In addition, the college holds many of its own activities which provide many benefits to the community and its residents.
NCMC has also been a force behind the downtown revitalization efforts, doing its part with new construction (Cross Hall) as well as landscaping, painting and even some demolition to make way for future expansion. The college is getting ready for the next phase of its master plan – that being the renovation of Geyer Hall (the former Central School to some), the cornerstone of the campus right on Main Street and home to the library, student classrooms and faculty offices.
Howard’s Department
Store
A linchpin of the downtown area, Howard’s Department Store is a long-time clothing business and, according to the nomination form submitted on behalf of Howard’s, “is one of the few retail Merchants to overcome the adversities than many downtown areas suffer in today’s economy and competition from out-of-town shopping centers.”has been an active part of the community for many years.
Owners Elvin and Peggy Noel, although residing in Gallatin, remain involved in many activities in Trenton, especially those pertaining to the downtown area. The Noels have supported Trenton by contributing whenever asked to help with programs or promotions in the downtown area by all organizations, especially the chamber of commerce. The Noels have also supported and helped promote the downtown area by refurbishing projects and have maintained an attractive building as a focal point at Five Points in the downtown area.
Elvin is a charter member of the Trenton Downtown Improvement Association and currently serves as the TDIA president. Longtime employee Kathi Brewer served as a member of the chamber’s board of directors and participates in many activities, not only with the chamber but with organizations in the community. In the nomination form, Mrs. Brewer is described as “an excellent public relations employee by giving great customer service and always goes the extra mile to help promote shopping in the Trenton area.”
Trenton is fortunate to have a men’s and women’s retail store of the quality that Howard’s has made available for many years while consistently maintaining a great philosophy of small town America.