Grindstone Award
2026 Grindstone Award Winner
Consolina Templeman
Congratulations to Consolina Templeman, who was selected to receive the 58th Annual Grindstone Award! Cons has dedicated decades of volunteer service to making Berea a stronger, more connected community through her leadership with Kiwanis, the Aktion Club, Berea Rotary, the Berea Education Foundation, Berea Historical Society, American Legion Post 91, the VFW, Maryssa’s Mission, and many other local organizations. From organizing Berea’s Memorial Day Parade and championing veterans to supporting students, individuals with disabilities, and many other local charities, Cons has inspired countless others to serve their community. The Berea Chamber is honored to recognize Consolina for all of her hard work that has helped to make Berea a better place to live. We look forward to celebrating her at this year’s Grindstone Award Banquet.
In addition to celebrating our Grindstone Award recipient, we will also be honoring our Courtesy, Future Leader, Rising Star, and Legacy Award winners.
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2026 Courtesy Award!
- David Kushlak – Berea-Midpark Middle School
- Dawn Leffard – PNC Bank
- David McElroy – Berea-Midpark Middle School
- Heather Watters – Lifeworks of Southwest General
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2026 Future Leader Award!
- William Collins – Berea-Midpark High School
- Hannah Cunningham – Berea-Midpark High School
- Abby Davis – St. Joseph Academy
- Molly Davis – St. Joseph Academy
- Arden Fujimura – Berea-Midpark High School
Congratulations to the recipient of the 2026 Rising Star Award!
Congratulations to the recipient of the 2026 Legacy Award!
Grindstone Award Recipients
Honoring Outstanding Contributions from Outstanding Citizens of Berea
Since 1967, the Berea Chamber of Commerce has presented the Grindstone Award to outstanding citizens who have contributed their time and effort through volunteer service to make Berea a better place to live. The winner is chosen based on nominations received from members of the community each year.
In 2016, the Berea Chamber of Commerce expanded the awards program to also include the Courtesy and Rising Star Awards. The Courtesy Award acknowledges employees from businesses in the city of Berea who have gone above and beyond in their line of work to serve their customers and the general public through the Courtesy Award. Courtesy Award recipients are selected based on nominations from members of the community who have been positively impacted by the nominee, including employers, supervisors, coworkers, customers, students, or the general public. The Rising Star Award recognizes a new business that has already made a strong and positive impact on the community. The recipient is selected by the Berea Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees.
In 2022, the chamber added a new award category, the Future Leader Award. This award is presented to high school or college students who are excelling in both their areas of study as well as in their service to the greater community. We are excited to recognize them as the future leaders of our region.
The Grindstone, Courtesy, Rising Star, and Future Leader Award winners are honored at an awards banquet which takes place each year in September.
Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis, however the deadline to submit a nomination for 2026 consideration is July 1, 2026.
Learn more about the criteria and submit a nomination by clicking on the button below.
Photo caption: 2025 Grindstone Award recipient, Susan Hans, with previous year Grindstone Award winners.
Congratulations to the 2025 Grindstone Award Recipient
Susan Hans
Congratulations to the 2025 Rising Star Award recipient
Congratulations to the 2025 Legacy Award recipient
Congratulations to the 2025 Courtesy Award recipients
- Melissa Haskins-Berger - Berea City School District
- Lyndon Johnson - Marc's Berea
- Linda Kramer - City of Berea
- Stephanie Kronika - Berea-Midpark High School
- Maria Salmen - Fifth Third Bank
Congratulations to the 2025 Future Leader Award recipients
- Emmy Fleming - Berea-Midpark High School
- Emma Rivera - Berea-Midpark High School
- Elizabeth Chen - Berea-Midpark High School
2025 Grindstone Award recipient, Susan Hans, with Berea Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees members
2025 Courtesy Award recipients
Linda Kramer, Maria Salmen & Lyndon Johnson
2025 Future Leader Award winners
2025 Legacy Award winner, Polaris Career Center
2025 Rising Star Award winner, Bridge Street Local
Click the photo to view the biography of past recipients.
Otto Mahler
1967
Herbert E Shalkhauser
1968
Rudolph S Ursprung
1969
Arthur C Gohlke
1970
Ruth E Taylor
1971
Dr Alfred B Bonds Jr
1972
Loni Flagner
1973
Dorothy Marks McKelvey
1974
Glenn & Jean Snow
1975
Henry M Barr
1976
Muriel Hardy
1977
Robert L Purdy
1978
Bernard V Kelly
1979
Doris James
1980
Lee Tressel
1980
William A Allman
1981
Joan Fry Goering
1982
Eloise Tressel
1983
Berneice K Smith
1984
Donald E Williams
1985
Russell J. Hill
1986
Caroline M Legemann
19687
C Bruce Hardy
1988
Mary R Hart
1989
Louis R Groza
1990
Gladys Howard Wyles
1991
William H Beyer
1992
Ken McCarthy
1993
Marie Douglas
1994
Frances Ryan Millward
1995
Thomas Madzy
1996
Robbie L Robinson
1997
Barbara J Sherwood
1998
Rudolf D Kamper
1999
George & Carol Kanaan
2000
Barbara Peris Draves
2001
Harry Allen Tadych
2002
Patsy Slater
2003
Jack Kafer
2004
Bill Tibbits
2005
John & Kathy Chapman
2007
Judith A Stull
2008
Leroy McCreary
2009
Dr Edward White
2010
Larry & Elaine Myers
2011
Nancy Doutt
2012
Dave Tressel
2013
Sally King
2014
James N. Walters III
2015
Tom & Marie Herr
2016
Dave Purdy
2017
Jeff Haas
2018
Georgie Rohde
2019
Dave Pusti
2021
Dennis Kushlak
2022
Russell G. Hill
2023
Gary Croy
2024
Susan Hans
2025