Venango County’s best and brightest will be the center of attention at the Young Professional of the Year event presented by FLEX (Future Leaders and Entrepreneurial Exchange) at the Commons at Franklin on March 23, 2012. The second annual FLEX Presents event will be hosted by the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce and FLEX. The accomplishments of eleven nominees will be highlighted during the evening and one young professional will be honored as the 2012 Young Professional of the Year. Register here to attend FLEX Presents.
This years nominees for Young Professional of the year are:
Justin Bidish As the Manager of The Nickel Restaurant & Lounge, Justin has brought the business into a bigger role in the community. He instituted a road side cleanup crew, and has had the Nickel donate to many different community events. He has volunteered as a “prisoner” of the MDA lockup, created teams and raised money for the March of Dimes and the Relay for Life and put teams together for the Shriner’s Golf Outing. Justin has been active in the community and given his time and money to charities as a Manager and as an individual.
Amanda Callin As a family based mental health therapist, Amanda works with families in Mercer and Venango Counties. Though her every day job has her doing extraordinary activities, it is her volunteerism away from her job that sets her apart. She is a member of the Venango County Roundtable which is a group of professionals who meet on behalf of the welfare of children in our county. She volunteers for the PPC and is also a board member there. She also spends much of her time planning events for domestic violence and launching an in-home therapy program for sexual abuse victims.
Emily Gill Emily has taken her love of marketing and promotions to not only start her own full-service marketing agency, but has used her talents to promote the area in a number of different ways. She was instrumental in the formation of the Take Pride initiative in Oil City and a major player in the Main Street Program as the Promotions Committee Chairperson and now as the Economic Restructuring Committee Chairperson. She was also one of the key people in the formation of FLEX and its growth through the last couple of years. She has served on multiple boards and committees of organizations throughout the years as well. Emily has taken what she loves to do in her own business and shared her talents with the community.
Adam Guthrie Though Adam’s days are often spent working with families and services at Huff’s Funeral Home in Franklin, he has carved out a lot of time to serve the community. He not only attends Christ Methodist Church, he also serves as a Member of their Usher Team. He has been active in the Franklin Chamber of Commerce through their Apple-Core Committee and as a member of their Board of Directors. He also serves as a member of the YMCA Board of Directors, and the United Way Board of Directors where he has moved onto their Executive Committee. Adam is active throughout the community and is always willing to help others.
Amanda Hippenstiel Amanda is the co-owner of the State-Street Furniture, but she truly shows her love of the community in her service outside of work. She is part of the Southside Business Association, the March of Dimes, Stuff Your Stocking, Extravaganza Event, CASA of Venango County, Inc, Weed and Seed, and Christmas Past just to name a few. She has been instrumental in planning events, giving donations of her own property in auctions, fund raising, and much more. Amanda spends many hours with her business, but she spends almost as many hours volunteering her time to the community.
Corinna Woods Corinna works as the Program Coordinator for the Justus Fellows Program at Youth Alternatives. This daily work to improve her community expands beyond her work day to her volunteering time around work. Much of her time is spent working with the Youth Council. She helps to plan and organize events for local youths such as bowling, Kung Fu, darts, and roller skating. This year she was able to guide a young student from the Oil City School District in to enrolling in the National Student Leadership conference in Washington, DC, where she will be taking the “Master Leadership” course and earning 3 college credits along the way. Corinna’s work with the youth of the community has been one of her greatest gifts.
Heather Motter Heather has been an English teacher at Cranberry High School for the past 15 years. Beyond her classroom duties, she has taken on additional responsibilities working with her students i.e. Language Arts Department Chairperson, Senior Class Advisor, Student Council, as well as many community endeavors. Heather encourages her students to volunteer in the community, and has provided the leadership for the Student Council. Students have now logged well over 1000 hours of community service in each of the last two years. Heather and her husband are organizers of the Paul Richey Memorial Run and they also recruit staff and student volunteers for this philanthropic project. The list of community organization that have been served by Heathers efforts is expansive, earning Heather a reputation for giving back and putting others before herself.
Trenton Moulin Trenton is the Executive Director at the Bridge Builders Community Foundations. Trenton has made a practice of reaching out to the next generation fostering their understanding and engagement in the community. Trenton is active in numerous community foundations and movements including the Oil City Civic Center, Restorative Community Group Conferencing, FLEX, Oil City Main Street Program and was a driving force in the installation and supporter of the Disc Golf course in Hasson Heights Park. Presenting potential programs to the community, he selflessly gives of his time. Trenton is truly intent on enriching this area, for his generation and into the future.
Nicole Russell Nicole is the owner of Nicole’s Bridal Shop in Seneca and Nicole’s Bridal Treasures in Butler. Nicole currently is serving as President for the Venango Chamber of Commerce. She also volunteers her time to numerous events in the community including, Oil Heritage Festival, teaching business management at Cranberry High School and donating some of her merchandise to the Barrow, Community Playhouse and Saint Elizabeth Center. Nicole and her husband, David have been extremely active in the local Catholic Church, providing Communion services and advice to the “shut ins”. Nicole’s pride in her business is apparent. Her pride in her Community is more apparent.
Michael Thomas Mike the current President and CEO of the Thomas Organization LLC. Mike launched the company with only $600 to his name in 2008 and built The Thomas Organization is a multi-divisional company with interests in Social Services, Real Estate, Professional Music Production, Online Marketing, Computer Manufacturing, and Dining. His social service agencies include Family 911, the Thomas Foster Care Agency, Operation Future and the Footsteps Program for Pregnant Teens. Mike operates a community service project known as “Operation Furniture.” This program obtains and delivers furniture and household items to needy families. During the summer of 2011, Mike and his family donated and produced Franklin’s first free family movie night in Bandstand Park. In 2012, Mike and his family will donate four additional free family movie nights to the City of Franklin. His compassion toward those in need has been a driving force in his service to community. Mike is a young professional with an exceptionally bright future and an unbounded desire to leave the world a better place than was given to him.
Dr. David A Wagner David is the owner of Wagner Family Eye care in Seneca. David has been an active member of the Oil City Rotary Club since December 2001. He is very active in the community donating many hours to Big Brothers Big Sisters where he currently serves on the Fund Development and Public Relations committee and the Second Presbyterian Church as a member he is a faithful participant in our Sanctuary Choir and the caretaker of the sound system when the children’s choir sings. He plays an active role in events held during Oil Heritage Festival and Applefest, the Oil & Gas Extravaganza and Christmas Past Chili Cook-Off. David is a caring individual who feels it is his responsibility to give back to his community. David is a caring individual who feels it is his responsibility to give back to his community.