This year, the organization will honor Peter Noonan as the 2016 Laureate. Noonan has been instrumental in the region’s business community for several years, and he was a co-founder of Midland Properties in 1981. Midland is a real estate firm that specializes in commercial real estate as well as property management and development.
Louise Lambert, president of the JA Mad River chapter, said Noonan’s personality and the time he’s dedicated to the community is just as important. One of the goals of the award is to show area students what it means to not only succeed in business, but to be an asset to the region, she said.
“When I think about Pete, he’s always Santa Claus at the Rotary children’s Christmas Party,” Lambert said. “He has always played Santa, and I think that is kind of keeping with who he is in giving back to the community. “
The organization has hosted the Hall of Fame banquet annually since 1990, Lambert said.
This year’s posthumous laureate is John McGregor Sr., who purchased Morgal Tool and Die in 1965. That company prospered, and the family later founded the McGregor Metalworking Companies.
This year’s Entrepreneurial Business Award will go to C&N Contractors for their work on the historic Bushnell Building in downtown Springfield. Last fall, the historic building received a platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The company served as the general contractor for the project.
The certification is based on a points system in six categories, including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, and innovation and design.
The event will begin with a reception at 6:15 p.m. May 19 at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Springfield. The banquet will begin at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets are $85 per person or $900 for a table of 10. Guests are asked to RSVP by May 12.
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