CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Nov. 16, 2009) — Jim Horne, owner of Parker Insurance, was named the winner of the Churubusco Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year for 2009 at the Chamber’s annual banquet held Thursday at Eel River Golf Clubhouse.

Jim Horne, left, receives the 2009 Business of the Year award from Churubusco Chamber president, Chris Tomlinson.

Chamber president Chris Tomlinson said he was very pleased that Horne had been named as the recipient, stating that Horne had not only accomplished much as a businessman, but had also been a longtime board member and contributor to the chamber organization.

Horne  said he was pleased to be on hand to receive the award and thanked Tomlinson and chamber members for the honor.

“I almost didn’t make it here today,” Horne said, “Then everyone in my office – including my wife – told me I HAD to go. And I’m glad I did.”

Horne has been very active in the Churubusco Chamber of Commerce serving as a president until earlier this year, when health issues forced him to step down and hand the job over to Tomlinson, who was vice president at that time. Horne also served as the Churubusco coordinator for the United Way of Whitley County, where he serves on the board of directors, and is a member of the Churubusco Rotary where he served as an officer in the past.

Sharon Sallot

Special speaker for the luncheon was Sharon Sallot, program director for the Whitley County Economic Development Corporation’s new business incubator program “Accelerating Innovation,” as well as the current Columbia City Area Chamber of Commerce.

Sallot spoke to chamber members about the pending Whitley County Chamber of Commerce, which is funded through grants from the Whitley County Community Foundation and CenturyLink (formerly EMBARQ). Sallot has met with representatives from the Columbia City and South Whitley chambers to begin the task of creating the new entity from the ground up. Completion is expected to be in January 2010, she said.

She urged Churugusco to get involved in the new county chamber, adding that the Churubusco Chamber would still serve members on a local level “just like in the past,” but would have the added benefit of having county-wide influence and resources.

The goal of the the new Whitley County chamber is to move the business community forward with focus and cooperation to better not only individual towns and cities, but the county as a whole, Sallot said.

Chamber President Chris Tomlinson addresses the crowd.

More about Parker Insurance

Horne is owner and manager of the plaza south of Churubusco at 3985 N. U.S. 33 which houses not only Horne’s insurance agency, but several other individual businesses, including Subway, Gonink Design & Print and Hit the Floor Dance Studio.

Horne bought the Bonar Insurance business last fall and moved it from its old home at 203 Main Street to his southside agency. That move included Dee Dee McCoy, who was the office manager at Bonar Insurance.

Horne is a familiar face around Churubusco, having served as a Smith Twp. volunteer firefighter for 32 years.

He was a member of the Churubusco Town Council for five years from 1988-1993 and worked as superintendent of the town’s wastewater treatment plant for nine years during that same time. During Horne’s tenure, the wastewater treatment plant was recognized by the state for quality control and excellence in operation.

Horne also formed his own company, Horne And Associates Fire and Rescue, Inc., where he sold fire/rescue equipment for 13 years. After that he worked for the Allstate Insurance regional office in Dearborn, Mich. There, Horne was in charge of property inspections for northeast Indiana and part of southern Michigan.

Horne was forced to look for a new career when he was diagnosed with severe heart problems. He has had two pacemakers installed in his chest and two heart ablation surgeries.

Chamber president Chris Tomlinson and executive secretary, Dee Dee McCoy, draw names for door prizes at the annual Fall Banquet.

In August 1998 Horne graduated from Indiana Wesleyan with a degree in business. In 1999, Horne bought Parker Insurance from Marilyn Parker, who was retiring.

“It started as a smart remark,” Horne said. “Marilyn – who was good friends with my mom – said she would like to sell the business and retire. I jumped in and said, ‘I’ll buy it!’”

He operated Parker Insurance out of the old site at the corner of Tulley and Main streets, until June 2005 when he moved the business to its present site.

Horne and his wife, Mary Jo, are longtime Churubusco residents and have two grown children and two grandchildren.

Story, photos by V. Sade for buscovoice.com

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (Nov. 2009) — Can social media really help my business? Would it require lots of time and money? Isn’t is just for kids?

These questions and many more will be answered at a seminar called, “Cost Effective Marketing Using Social Media on the Web,” Friday, Nov. 20, from 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Eagle’s Nest Event Center. The event is hosted by the Columbia city Chamber of Commerce.

Cost is $10 for chamber members; $12 for non-members .

The program will be presented by Mike Gingerich of Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. The informative and interactive seminar is open to chamber members and local business owners and managers.

Learn about new, cost effective and measurable marketing techniques including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and how these social media platforms can be used by many diverse businesses and organizations in a cost effective way to market their business and products/services.

RSVP by Tuesday, November 17, 2009 to the Columbia City Area Chamber of Commerce by calling 260-248-8131 or emailing: chamber@columbiacity.org .

The Churubusco Chamber of Commerce named four new members to its board of directors at their regular monthly business luncheon Thursday, Dec. 11.

Named to the board were Karan Hill of K & K Video and 2nd Best; Karen Simpson of Fort Financial Credit Union; Lee Prescott of National City Bank and Greg Veercamp of Farmers and Merchants Bank.

Other Churubusco Chamber of Commerce directors include  Chris Tomlinson of Gonink Design & Print and Buscovoice.com, Jim Horne of Parker Insurance and Bonar Insurance, John Black of Mahle Clevite, Inc., Mark Coonrod of Star Insurance, John Schmidt of Schmidt Financial, Viv Sade of S & R Publishing and Buscovoice.com, Lenny Shaw of Eel River Golf Course, Greg Childs of Sheets and Childs Funeral Home and Beth Brown of the Churubusco Community Child Care Center.

The luncheon was held at National City Bank with President Jim Horne presiding. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at noon at various locations in Churubusco.

For more information on joining the Chamber or attending a luncheon, call the Chamber’s executive secretary, Dee Dee McCoy at 693-9810 or visit www.churubuscochamber.org

Churubusco Chamber of Commerce directors - Front, from left, executive secretary Dee Dee McCoy, Viv Sade; Row 2: Chris Tomlinson, Karan Hill, Karen Simpson; Row 3: Greg Veercamp, Jim Horne, John Black; Row 4: Mark Coonrod, John Schmidt, Lee Prescott. Directors not pictured: Lenny Shaw, Greg Childs and Beth Brown.

Jim Horne, front left, is the current president of the Churubusco Chamber of Commerce. Dee Dee McCoy, front right, is the executive secretary.

The Churubusco Chamber of Commerce will host its annual banquet Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Eel River Golf Course clubhouse beginning at noon.

The Business of the Year award will be presented at the luncheon. There is no charge for Chamber members, but a free will donation to offset the cost of the luncheon will be accepted.

Guest speaker will be Alan Tio, director of the Whitley County Economic Development Corporation.

Call Dee Dee McCoy, Chamber Executive Secretary, at 693-9810 for further information.

In other Chamber news:

At the October Chamber meeting, board members decided to purchase new downtown lighted wreaths for the holiday season. They will retire the angels that have been used in the past. The angels are being sold by the Chamber for $75 each.

Call McCoy if you are interested in purchasing one or more of the lighted angels.

Four director terms will expire at the end of the year, including John Black, Dana; Jim Horne, Parker Insurance; Kimberly Sadjak, Biddle Chiropractic; and Greg Childs, Sheets and Childs Funeral Home. The directors will be either reinstated or new directors will be announced at the November banquet.

The Chamber meets the second Thursday of each month at noon at various locations throughout Churubusco.

The annual Chamber vs. Firemen softball game and picnic in the park will be held August 23rd, starting at 4:00 p.m. with the Lions Club car and truck show. Chamber members will be on hand handing out free food, drinks, games for the kids and much more!