Grindstone 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 2023 consideration is July 31, 2023.

Learn more about the criteria and submit a nomination by clicking on the button below.

Photo caption: 2021 Grindstone Award recipient, Dave Pusti, with previous year Grindstone Award winners.

Congratulations to the 2022 Grindstone Award Recipient

Dennis Kushlak

Congratulations to the 2022 Rising Star Award recipient

Palm Wellness LLC

Congratulations to the 2022 Legacy Award recipient

Southwest General Health Center

Congratulations to the 2022 Courtesy Award recipients

Fred Abraham - Generations Senior Living of Berea
Julie DiFrancesco - Berea-Midpark High School
Jo-Anne Paciotti - Giant Eagle
Allen Scott - Berea Fire Department
Katie Street - Berea-Midpark High School

Congratulations to the 2022 Future Leader Award recipients

Lily Henry - Ohio University
Rose Henry - Berea-Midpark High School
Tom Henry - Berea-Midpark High School
Andy Scott - St. Edward High School

Photo Caption: 2022 Courtesy Award recipients

Photo Caption: 2022 Grindstone Award recipient, Dennis Kushlak.

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

Join the Chamber!

If you're interested in joining, click the button below to fill out a membership form.

Contact

Phone

(440) 243-8415