News Items - Greater Marion Area Chamber of Commerce
Finalists for the Distinguished Member Award have been announced
Three area leaders have been selected as finalists for the Marion Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Member Award. The finalists are (in alphabetic order):
• Ashley Gott with Bank of Herrin
• Mindy Reid with Banterra Bank
• Celia Robertson with House 2 Home Realty



Three area leaders have been selected as finalists for the Marion Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Member Award. The finalists are (in alphabetic order): Members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce were asked to submit nominations in October for the Distinguished Member Award. Nominations were sought for a Chamber member who has made significant contributions to the community through the Marion Chamber of Commerce and who demonstrates personal and professional leadership in the community. The Distinguished Member Award finalists and winner were selected by the members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Awards Committee, including the Mayor of the City of Marion Robert Butler, Gail Barger with Priority Staffing Group Ltd., Dalus Ben Avi with the Marion Chamber of Commerce, Kristin Beutel with the Marion Chamber of Commerce, Ashlee Church with Volkswagen of Marion, Misty Cobb with Banterra Bank, Dana Dooley with HireLevel powered by Extra Help, Kenya Garner with State Farm Insurance, Cindy Gibbons with U.S. Bank, Ashley Gott with Bank of Herrin, Janet Jensen with Auto Credit of Southern Illinois, Doug Kimmel with Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois, Brian McHugh with BNI STAR Chapter, Bill Nielsen with Flanders Electric, Sara Perdue with Harbory Medical Cannabis Dispensary, Christy Pulliam with StaffQuick, Mindy Reid with Banterra Bank, Rick Richert with Flanders Electric and Kimberly Walker with Kemper CPA Group LLP.
 
The winner of the Distinguished Member Award will be announced during the 97th annual Marion Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet & Auction on Friday, January 19 at The Pavilion. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to attend are $60/person or $400/table (seats 8) and are available by calling the Marion Chamber of Commerce at 618.997.6311, visiting marionillinois.com or emailing director@marionillinois.com.
 
Information about the finalists is below.
 
Ashley Gott:
 
Ashley was born in Harrisburg on February 9, 1975 to Mike and Cindy Gott. He attended school in Harrisburg where he played on a two-time State runner-up baseball team, participated in the all-tournament team at State in 1992 during his junior year, graduated third in his senior class and received a baseball scholarship to Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
 
Ashley graduated from SIUC with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1997. The following year, Ashley married Amanda Byassee. They now have three sons: Jamie, 16; Alex, 14; and Jeremy, 12.
 
In 1999, Ashley attended the Illinois Bankers Association Basic Consumer Lending School in 1999 and the American Bankers Association National Commercial Lending School in 2006. Ashley was employed with South Pointe Bank/MidCountry Bank from January 2001 to October 2009 as a commercial loan officer and then Bank of Herrin from October 2009 to present as a senior lender/commercial loan officer.
 
Ashley’s volunteer activities include youth baseball, basketball and football coach; former board member of the Marion Youth Baseball and Softball organization; Marion Park District commissioner since 2005; Marion Park District president; First Baptist Church parishioner; Habitat for Humanity volunteer; former board member of the Illinois Association of Park Districts; Grad Spree chaperone; director of the Marion Chamber of Commerce; and director of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
 
Ashley’s activities with the Marion Chamber of Commerce include past chairman of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in 2015; chair of the Bass Tournament Committee; and member of the following committees: Membership, Marketing, Community Day, Grad Spree, Remuneration, Nominating, Finance, Audit, Awards, Golf Scramble and Scholarship.
 
“It is a tremendous honor to be nominated but it is truly a team effort,” Ashley said. “There are so many wonderful individuals who are part of the committees that help drive the Chamber. I am just one person trying to do my part. There are many fellow membership who are more deserving than me.”
 
Mindy Reid:
 
Mindy was born in Central Illinois and spent the majority of her childhood in her hometown of LeRoy. Her father’s career moved her family to Goreville when she was in junior high, and Goreville was Mindy’s home until graduation.
 
“At that point, I wanted to see what else was out there,” she said. “Going, doing, and experiencing became my passion for many years. I have traveled all over the country from Seattle to New York and when opportunity arose, I picked up my life and moved myself to Panama City Beach, Florida.”
 
Mindy eventually made her way to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she remained for a few years.
 
“Ultimately, the love of family and friends brought me back home to Southern Illinois,” she said. “I have built a life here now and couldn't imagine being anywhere else. In the words of a very important childhood friend, Miss Dorothy Gale of Kansas, ‘If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.’”
 
Mindy has devoted 15 years to the banking industry.
 
“I joined Banterra Bank in 2007 as a teller. One year in, I was promoted to a deposit support representative. Another year in and I received a promotion to be the assistant banking center manager of the Marion Kroger facility. I remained there for three years until I was promoted again. This time to a full-fledged Banking Center Manager 1 over the Carbon Street branch in Marion,” she said. “Four years later, I acquired the Marion drive-up location as well and was promoted to a Banking Center Manager 2.”
 
Throughout Mindy’s years with Banterra, she has received six special recognition awards for going above and beyond in the following areas:
  • Demonstrating a professional and calm demeanor during an armed robbery.
  • Playing a vital role in the deployment of the company’s first image deposit ATM.
  • Outstanding performance in the area bank conversion.
  • Multiple consecutive "A-Exceeds Standards" branch audit results.
  • Outstanding performance in annual goal achievement.
  • Outstanding performance in providing ATM balancing assistance.
Mindy has also received two quarterly achievement awards for the following:
  • Most branch improvement based on efficiency ratio.
  • Meeting and exceeding quarterly goals.
“My proudest accomplishment was in 2016 when only two branches bank-wide met or exceeded all of the retail goals set for them that year. Those two branches were my team at Marion Carbon Street and my team at the Marion drive-up,” Mindy said. “Everything lined up perfectly that year and I could not be prouder to have been a part of it.”
 
Mindy serves on the Welcome Home Committee for Honor Flight of Southern Illinois.
 
“We work tirelessly to ensure that our regions veterans receive the welcome home celebration that so many of them deserved but may not have ever gotten. They are some of our most treasured members of the community and I am honored to be a part of what I hope to be a long-standing tradition,” Mindy said. “I have volunteered on this committee for the Inaugural Flight and Flight #2. Flight #3 is scheduled for early Spring, 2018.”
 
Mindy’s involvement in the Marion Chamber of Commerce includes:
  • Marion Chamber Board of Directors member since February 2016
  • Chair of the Membership Committee and Co-Chair the Annual Dinner Committee
    • “As Chair of the Membership Committee, I was able to give voice to the need of bringing a leadership program to the Marion Chamber,” she said. “We have worked hard to develop this program and have since rolled out the John Maxwell Mastermind Groups, monthly Lunch & Learns, and the first ever Live2Lead: Southern Illinois live simulcast. Our hope is to expand this leadership program to outside of the Marion area very soon.”
  • Member of the Community Day Committee, Golf Scramble Committee, Grad Spree Committee, Bass Tournament Committee, Awards Committee, and the Annual Dinner Silent Auction Sub-Committee as well as the Budgeting Sub-Committee.
“Being nominated for this specific award is very special to me for many reasons,” Mindy said. “It means that effort and hard work is being noticed. It means that members whom I look to as mentors and have an immense respect and value of, also respect and value my contributions.
 
“Giving back to the community in which I live and serve gives me a great sense of pride,” she said. “I have developed an amazing group of friends and business contacts through the Chamber. Being recognized for my efforts and nominated for this award is just icing on the cake!”
 
Celia Robertson:
 
Celia Robertson is the owner of House 2 Home Realty. She obtained an associate’s degree in accounting from John A. Logan College and a bachelor’s degree in workforce education and development from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
 
“I began my career as a secretary for the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market and worked my way up to assistant executive director for the Southwestern Illinois Higher Education Consortium,” Celia said. “I worked in higher education for 23 years.”
 
Celia has also worked for her family’s successful vending company for 10 years before starting House 2 Home Realty eight years ago.
 
“I have taken a small non-franchised real estate company to be the number one non-franchised company and very close to be the number one real estate company in the Egyptian Board of Realtors,” Celia said.
 
Celia believes in giving back not only personally but through her business.
 
“I have set on several boards and committees and was involved in numerous fundraising activities with Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Herrin,” Celia said. “Because House 2 Home is so charity minded, I have spent countless hours thinking about and performing new ways to help the community and pay Southern Illinois back for supporting me and my business. This has been such a huge part of who I am. I am driven and will continue to do these and many other worthwhile charity events that give back to others. I cannot begin to name the hours that I spent when my children were at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel donating my time and money to help promote the school and lead to the building of a new elementary school that work is in progress now.”
 
Celia has also been active with the Marion Chamber, including sponsoring Chamber monthly meetings.
 
“When Dalus (Ben Avi, executive director of the Marion Chamber of Commerce) called to tell me I was a finalist for this award, I was speechless. I would never have dreamed this was possible,” Celia said. “I just get up every day and do what’s needed. Just being a finalist is an absolute thrill and I am forever grateful for this recognition. Thank you.”
 
The first Distinguished Member Award was given in 1959 to Dr. James Felts. Last year’s winner was Amber Ciochetto. Past winners of the Distinguished Member Award can be viewed at www.marionillinois.com/award-winners.
 

Published: 12/02/17