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Canton Regional Chamber hands out awards at annual dinner. See which businesses won

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Canton Regional Chamber hands out awards at annual dinner. See which businesses won

GREEN − Members and guests at the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 110th annual meeting Thursday celebrated the chamber’s accomplishments in its first nearly 11 months under its new President and CEO Jeff Dafler.

Addressing hundreds of attendees at the MAPS Air Museum, the chamber’s board chairman Bradley H. Belden and incoming 2025 chairman Christopher Goff cited the chamber’s 10 months of work putting out a survey to the chamber’s roughly 1,900 members to shape the chamber’s five-year strategic plan.

As attendees dined on breaded chicken and Salisbury steak, Belden, the president of the Belden Brick Co., mentioned the chamber adding 220 new members this year; record attendance at chamber events; sharpening the chamber’s advocacy network to advance the local business community’s interests; 135 graduates this year from the chamber’s Leadership Stark County training programs; and the chamber organizing a drone show during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.

Goff, the president and CEO of Employers Health, said, “I’m excited to see this work through as I assume the role of the chair. The work that we’ve done and will continue to do is critical to the success of our (organization). Our strategic goals around workforce development, public policy, community events and member engagement will guide us. But we know to truly make an impact it takes all of us working together.”

Related: Dennis Saunier honored with new award at annual Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce dinner

What’s the Canton chamber’s strategic plan?

Dafler said the chamber’s strategic plan is built on five priorities:

  • Deliver exceptional value to chamber members with customized success plans, “extensive networking opportunities,” and advocating for the business community with public policymakers in government.
  • Build stronger connections to other chambers, business associations, community organizations and government agencies in Northeast Ohio.
  • Set up programs that develop a skilled, local workforce by working with local schools, economic development organizations and community groups.
  • Connect chamber members to economic development grants, incentives and financing to spur business growth.
  • Innovate Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement events organized by the chamber to attract more spending in the area.

“I look forward to what we can accomplish in 2025,” Dafler said.

Which companies won awards at chamber dinner?

Dafler, Janelle Lee, the director of client engagement for MAGNET, and Leonard Stevens, the CEO of the Stark County Minority Business Association, announced the winners of annual business awards or “the best of the best in our region.” A committee of local community and business leaders chose them based on how long they’ve operated in the community, growth, innovation and consistent involvement in the community.

  • Small Business of the Year (fewer than 100 employees): Plakas Mannos law firm, based in Canton, which has 36 full-time employees.
  • Large Business of the Year (100 employees or more): Brechbuhler Scales in Canton Township.
  • MAGNET Manufacturer of the Year: Ohio Gratings in Perry Township, which has about 800 employees and locations in the Canton and Massillon area.
  • Stark County Minority Business Association Business of the Year: Fair Play Family Center, a child care center with 40 staffers, three locations and serves 200 children per day.
  • Dennis P. Saunier Award for Regional Leadership: Renato “Ren” Camacho, the president and CEO of Akron-Canton Airport. The award is named after Saunier, the longtime former CEO of the chamber until he retired at the end of last year.

Plakas Mannos’ managing partner Lee Plakas said in his acceptance speech if businesses focus on attracting and retaining talent, those people will lead to a better profit or bottom line “naturally.” He said it’s expensive to recruit talent. But it’ll cost the business more to become irrelevant and a failure.

Plakas said his firm hired a chef to cook free healthy nutritious lunches for the firm’s staff.

“Disregard the conventional wisdom or conventional rulebook of staying in your lane,” said Plakas. “Don’t stay in your lane. Because if you have the talent, and you have vision. If you have hard work, you’re going to be going anywhere you want. … If we attract the best and the brightest, others will follow.”

Plakas said Ted Swaldo owned a business that provided replacement water pumps for pickup trucks. After he retired, despite no experience in the hospitality or food service industry, he founded Gervasi Vineyard Resort and Spa in 2009.

“He wasn’t willing to abide by a rule book,” said Plakas. “We all have benefited.”

Andy Brechbuhler, CEO of Brechbuhler Scales, said his great-grandfather Fred Brechbuhler founded the company in 1929. Fred Brechbuhler before that worked at Republic Steel where he filled in for a vacationing colleague calibrating and repairing the scales. He then borrowed $50 to start the business.

Brechbuhler said his grandfather Clyde Brechbuhler, who later took over the family business from Fred, had several things he would say: “Be aggressive, but liquid. Never stay status quo. And never complacent. This has been the foundation of our company. My grandfather said it. My great-grandfather lived it. And we continue to invest in our people, our community, our culture. Our quality of products and services. And most importantly, our customers.”

Camacho, whose airport adjoins the MAPS Air Museum, said in his acceptance speech that it took the business community with phone calls, emails, donations and in-person meetings to attract Breeze Airways to offer service to and from Akron-Canton Airport. Camacho said Breeze now has 20 nonstop flights to or from the airport, up from the initial four. He also led a round of applause for Saunier, who did not attend the dinner.

“We know we need to get back to Atlanta. We know we need New York City. We know we need Houston,” said Camacho. “And we’re working truly, truly hard to reestablish those routes that you all desire and more importantly that you all deserve. “

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly Twitter: @rwangREP.

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