Belleville Chamber of Commerce recognizes community leaders

BELLEVILLE -- A local college and a heating and air-conditioning business headlined the winners of this year's Greater Belleville Chamber of Commerce's Business Excellence Awards. The chamber also named its Ambassador of the Year and a new honor, the Leadership Belleville Award.

The new award that was introduced this year is the Leadership Belleville Award, which was given to Illinois Distributing Co. Chief Operating Officer Craig Harper.

Harper has worked for the Belleville beer distributing company since 1997 and received training form the Leadership Belleville's nine-month program. The new award honors those professionals who have graduated through the program at least five years prior.

"I'm happy to be selected and am humbled by all of the other candidates who have been in the program," Harper said. It is a very strong program."

This year's Ambassador of the Year Award winner was Mary Jo Foerste, who founded My Tutor Learning Center in Belleville with a fellow teacher in 1983. She added a driving school, My Tutor Driving School, in 1997.

Southwestern Illinois College and Sigman Heating & Air Conditioning also were honored for their service at the chamber's Annual Dinner & Silent Auction on Thursday night at Fischer's Restaurant in Belleville. Both the college and heating and air-conditioning business are chamber members who have achieved success through expansion, financial accomplishments, development or innovative business methods that contribute to the community.

"We are most appreciative of this recognition from the Belleville chamber," said SWIC board chairman Nick Mance in a released statement. "For us to win this award, particularly in these challenging economic times, is testimony to the hard work, enthusiasm and creativity of our top-caliber faculty, administrators and staff all pulling together in the same direction to help students learn."

John Sigman, who founded his business in 1988, said he is very thankful for the chamber's recognition. He gave much credit to his employees, which he said he has built his business around.

"We're quite honored to be receiving this the award," Sigman said. "I was surprised that we were selected with all of the good businesses in the area. It's an honor and we very much appreciate this recognition."