Every year, we take a moment to recognize two people who make this community worth showing up for.

The Member Business Person of the Year goes to a chamber member who leads with professionalism and pours that energy back into the business community around them.

The Humanitarian of the Year — presented in honor of Tom Klecka — celebrates someone whose volunteer work leaves a lasting mark on the people and places we all care about. This one is open to everyone, not just chamber members.

Both honorees are celebrated at our annual Spring awards dinner. Know someone who deserves to be in the room?

Ready to nominate? All chamber members will receive an email with a link to the nomination ballot. Simply submit the name of the Business Person and Humanitarian you’d like to see honored. Nominations close on April 17, 2026.

Tom Klecka believed that showing up for your community wasn’t optional — it was a responsibility. And he lived that belief every single day.

He was one of the people who helped shape the Mt. Olive Area Chamber of Commerce and the township it served. For those who knew him, Tom had a way of pulling you in — sometimes with encouragement, sometimes with a well-placed nudge — because he genuinely believed that the business community had both the right and the duty to know what was happening around them. He didn’t just talk about civic engagement. He made you want to be part of it.

Tom served as Chamber president multiple times and played an active role with the Mt. Olive Economic Development Committee. He kept the Chamber telephone at his own business, fielding calls, meeting with prospective businesses, and promoting the township at every opportunity. He knew nearly everyone in town — and they knew him — as someone who showed up, spoke up, and always had their backs. Whether he was riding in the Chamber car on Memorial Day or working the crowd at a 50/50, Tom was exactly where he wanted to be: with his community.

He set a standard for what it means to be a neighbor, a leader, and a friend to this town.

The Chamber has not forgotten him. And through this award, we make sure no one else does either.