Awards Banquet 2026

The Chester Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards banquet Friday, June 5 at the Chester Country Club. A large appetizer buffet was served by Kathy Brown, club manager. President Chris Koeneman presided over the event.

Chamber President Chris Koeneman, Citizen of the Year Neal Adams, and Executive Director David Randall

Chamber Board Director Chris Blechle presented the 2026 Citizen of the Year award to long time Chester resident Neal Adams. Adams is known for the multitude of videos that he makes and places on social media of the construction of the Chester Bridge from 2023 till present. In his presentation, Blechle stated, "with the blessing of Ames Construction,  Adams began showing up almost daily to record the progress of the project. He earned the trust and friendship of the bridge crew and many subcontractors who worked on the project. This level of trust allowed him to gain access behind the scenes and film from many unique and interesting points. During the years of Construction, Adams sometimes rode shotgun with the concrete truck drivers, hauling dirt with the semi-truck drivers, riding in the pilot house of a barge tug and amazingly being hauled to the top of one of the concrete piers in a very small man basket attached to the boom of a tower crane." Blechle continued. "Neal Adams was on the job site in all kinds if weather, rain, snow, extreme heat and cold, day and night, to record all the milestones of the projects. He then spent many hours on the computer, assembling the footage into amazing videos which were then shared to social media and other outlets. The videos have been viewed millions of times by individuals across the country and the world." Blechle completed the presentation of the award by stating that all of Adams' efforts have been done on a completely volunteer basis.

Chamber President Chris Koeneman, Business Person of the Year Bob Welker, and Executive Director David Randall

Chamber Board Director Gwendy Garner presented the 2026 Business Person of the Year award to Bob Welker, who retired earlier this year from his position as General Manager of Rozier's Country Market in Chester, a position he held for 24 years. Garner stressed that although Welker is a Perryville resident, he always immersed himself into our community, serving in positions of responsibility in the Chester Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce, as well as helping Chesterites whenever he could.

Tom Welge with Business of the Year Ames Construction

Chamber Board Director Tom Welge announced the recipients of the 2026 Business of The Year as Ames Construction, all members of the trades and every man and woman who helped design and build the Don Welge Memorial Bridge."The businesses and people we're recognizing have done more than connect two sides of a river," Welge said. "They supported local jobs, strengthened our regional economy and delivered a structure that will serve the citizens of Chester for decades to come," he concluded.

Chamber President Chris Koeneman, Addison Gottschammer, and Executive Director David Randall

President Koeneman introduced the Chamber's 2026 scholarship recipient, Addison Gottschammer of Chester. She is a 4 year member if the CHS student council, carried a GPA of over 4.0 and ranked first in her class. She will be attending the University of Illinois this Fall and hopes to return to Chester following medical school.

Fisher, Kerkhover, Coffey and Gremmels, Chrysler Center, First Baptist Church, VFW, and Dietrich Bank representatives with awards of recognition.

Finishing out the Chamber's awards evening, President Koeneman recognized Chester businesses for their long service to the community: Dietrich Bank, over 100 years; Chester Chrysler Center, 92 years; First Baptist Church, 89 years; Chester VFW, 79 years; and Fisher, Kerkhover, Coffey and Gremmels, 79 years.

Concluding the evening, Koeneman passed the president's gavel to Lauren Rinne-Van de Ark who will serve in that position for two years.