Chamber celebrates year of growth

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce celebrated a year of growth and success Thursday, hosting its annual banquet at the Bremer Center.
Numerous businesses and individuals were recognized for outstanding achievement, with Chamber staff and board members also highlighting a busy year of community events and activities.
“We are here to celebrate the amazing year that you have all had,” board president Dereck Djernes began. “Tonight is about you, your business and our fantastic community. 2023 brought many victories for a lot of you and I think we can all agree that 2023 has also brought many of its own challenges. We are excited to be here with you tonight, hoping that you are excited to celebrate all the accomplishments and all of your hard work over the past year.”
More than 100 people gathered at the Bremer Center, where a meal was served as part of the celebration for the first time since 2019. The pandemic forced the celebration online to a virtual format for several years and last year the event returned, though on a smaller scale at the Aurora Community Clubhouse.
Djernes thanked those who attended, and tipped his hat to all who contributed in some way to the community’s continued growth.
“Every single business here in Hamilton County has a purpose and we want to say thank you for allowing the Chamber to help support you in any way possible,” he said. “So keep doing what you do every single day.”
Justise Rhoden, the Chamber’s executive director, then took the microphone, highlighting some of the many activities and accomplishments of the past year.
“The biggest things is the events that we’ve done,” Rhoden said, referring to an annual report distributed Thursday night which touted growing Chamber events including Bands on the Bricks, Come Home to Christmas, Market on the Square, Scare the Square and others. “It was kind of overwhelming for a lot of them because we had maxed out capacity on a lot of things, which is great because that means our community is growing. We’ve seen lots of growth, and that means that there are a lot of people behind what we do.”
The annual report included a combined message from Rhoden and Dejernes, as well as details about the year’s activities.
“Aurora buzzed with energy in 2023 and the Aurora Chamber of Commerce proudly echoes that vibration,” they wrote. “With a surge in business growth, from the development of Mission Critical just south of town to the revitalized downtown fueled by the Downtown Revitalization grants, the city of Aurora and Hamilton County embraced their Nebraska charm and welcomed new residents and entrepreneurs with open arms.
“This flourishing spirit translated directly to the Chamber itself,” they continued. “Thanks to last year’s strategic planning retreat and the subsequent implementation of the tiered membership structure, the Chamber saw an invigorating upswing in member engagement.”
The new structure, designed to enhance member benefits and clarify the Chamber’s mission, lead to record-breaking member participation in community events, they reported.
“The Aurora Chamber of Commerce is excited to see what 2024 will bring and continues to push Aurora and Hamilton County to be the place where people want to spend time and do business,” they concluded.
Two outgoing board members were recognized for their significant contributions. Sara Sutherland and Julie Wasem helped lead the discussions in 2017 when the Chamber was re-established as an organization, also taking the initiative to launch the popular Bands on the Bricks and Come Home to Christmas events, respectively. Other board members include Derek Rose, Nick Heinrichs, Jeni Obermier, Ashley Parker, Matthew Grosshans, Dalton Aksimit, Jodi Powers, Kelsey Hofmann, Bridgett Svoboda and Mayor Marlin Seeman.

Award winners
Numerous businesses and individuals were recognized for their efforts and accomplishments this past year. 
Small Business of the Year -- Deanna Powell, owner of Dream Designs, has been in business more than 20 years assisting brides and bridal parties with all the major and minor details to assist the bride. She provides prom dresses for the public and has provided them for those with “limited” means’ to purchase for many years, routinely donating dresses. She aims to please each clients going “above and beyond” to meet their dreams!
Civic Business of the Year -- The Plainsman Museum works diligently to preserve and display the history of Hamilton County. They are fortunate to be led by Tina Larson, who has been dedicated to leading the organization through large projects that continue to preserve and care for the historical artifacts in the museum buildings. The Plainsman, under Tina’s leadership, has gone through large renovation projects that have required a substantial amount of fundraising to complete. This is a tribute to how hard Tina works and how hard all of the volunteer at the museum work because of the passion and pride of the museum.  The Plainsman also continually looks for ways to support the community such as the teachers luncheon, holiday tree display, coupons that support local retailers, and so many other events that serve the county. Hamilton County is fortunate to have a world class museum here that preserves the history and tells the story.
Rising Star Award -- Paul Johnson has worked hard to grow the youth center so that local youth have a safe place to spend their free time. He helped lead the effort recently to renovate the facility, raise funds and re-energize the mission to serve local youth.
Community Leader of the Year -- Brock Wyatt has provided outstanding community leadership in a number of ways during the past year. He is a leader at Hamilton Telecommunications, and also through this role on the Aurora Public School Board of Education. Wyatt is also very involved in the community, serving on the board of the Hamilton Community Foundation and Aurora Development Corporation. Brock asks thoughtful and intentional questions, is always solution-focused, and makes a difference in everything he is involved in.
Outstanding Ambassador -- There was a three-way tie for Outstanding Ambassador, including Faith Gustafson, Jennifer Dennis and Loren Berthelsen.