Oldham County Top Achievers Awards
Chamber
honors The Rogers Group
for Community Service
By
Don Ward
Editor
CRESTWOOD, Ky. (April 2006) – The Rogers Group
plays a “solid” role in the Oldham County community as the
marketer of crushed stone, sand and gravel, asphalt highway, concrete
masonry and construction materials throughout the southeastern United
States.
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Photo
by Don Ward 84
WHAS morning show |
But the company, known locally as Oldham County Stone,
solidifies its role even more by being a strong community supporter.
As a result, the company was honored March 3 as the recipient of the
Oldham County Chamber of Commerce’s 2006 Community Service Award.
The award was presented to company representative Rose Wyman during
the March 3 Oldham County Top Achievers Awards luncheon, which preceded
the March 4 Oldham Community Showcase, held at Crestwood Station Shopping
Center.
Oldham County Stone opened in 1968 providing stone for the construction
of I-71.
“The company encourages its employees to get involved in the community,”
said chamber president Deana Epperly Karem in presenting the award.
“The leadership at the company believes in giving back to the community,
and it has been involved in many programs, such as the Brownsboro Community
Center, the Oldham County Youth Soccer Association, the Oldham County
Chamber of Commerce and many other noteworthy organizations.”
Other awards were:
• Large Business of the Year: The Rogers Group also earned
this year’s Large Business of the Year award.
This award is presented to a company with 25 employees or more. It must
have experienced some milestone growth and been a part of the overall
business economy.
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by Don Ward Bedford
Bank’s John Manning presents |
Besides implementing significant business planning strategies
throughout the year and experiencing significant growth, the company
recently acquired Rock Springs Quarry in Oldham County.
“The company feels strongly about listening to customers and recently
performed a customer satisfaction survey that came back with a 93 percent
approval rating,” Karem said in presenting the award.
In addition, The Rogers Group is a Six Sigma Co. with a number of Black
Belts on staff to facilitate improvement teams while fostering employee
knowledge. The mission of Six Sigma at the Rogers Group is to teach
and develop a systematic approach to problem solving and process improvement.
• Small Business of the Year: The Oldham Driver Training
Center won this award. This award is given to a company with one to
24 employees. Nominees in this category must have experienced significant
growth in the last year and also achieved a number of milestones to
achieve business success.
Tom and Donna Skinner opened the Oldham Driver Training Center in early
2005 as the Skinners’ son turned 16 and began learning to drive.
“The school prides itself on being community-focused, listening
to customers and managing its business with the customer in mind,”
Karem said. “Donna Skinner has a number of new programs on tap
for the school including a defensive driving course, a senior refresher
course, and a Graduated Training Course. The Oldham Driver Training
Center stays close to changing legislation in Frankfort and is committed
to supporting laws that protect our teens and make Kentucky’s road
safe.”
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Photo
by Don Ward These
ladies greet visitors at the |
• Home Based Business of the Year: This award
is presented to a successful company with support operations in their
home. Oldham County On-Line earned this award for the second time, having
earned it in 2004. The company is a owned and operated by Lambert and
Terri Franklin. They provide website design, development and hosting
services. They have 11 employees with clients throughout Oldham County,
southern Indiana, Ohio and Louisville.
“The Franklins feel its important to be involved in the community
from an individual as well as a company perspective,” Karem said.
“Oldham County On-Line is involved in the La Grange Rotary Club,
Crestwood Baptist Church, the Plantings Christian Retreat Center, Prison
Ministry and the Oldham County Chamber of Commerce. Oldham County On-Line
is an information source for
Oldham County providing free services to assist residents and businesses.
• Non-Profit Business of the Year: This award goes to a
local company or agency providing services, communication and/or administration
assistance in a non-traditional business method.
This year’s award was presented to the Oldham County Arts Association.
The association began in 1997 under the initiation of the Chamber of
Commerce. Since its beginning, it has been working to encourage, promote
and develop a continuing interest in the arts.
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Photo
by Don Ward New
Oldham County Chamber director |
The association provides leadership by increasing public
accessibility and involvement in the arts, promoting arts education
among students, establishing partnerships for collaborative programs
and events and more. This year, the association, took up residence in
the new Oldham County Arts Center in Crestwood. The leadership of the
association credits its success to the support of family, friends and
corporate sponsors.
This year’s Showcase was considered a success, with more than 100
booth sold and after moving the date from its original early February
timeframe to the first Saturday in March. Chamber officials said the
move was beneficial to giving members more time to plan for it, said
board president Gary Hardy. Hardy presented the Showcase’s Chairman’s
Award to exhibitor Enviroscape, a landscaping firm from Madison, Ind.
84 WHAS Radio morning show host Tony Cruise, an Oldham County resident,
was the keynote luncheon speaker on Friday.