Chamber honors award winners for ‘tenacity’ and commitment to community
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday recognized award winners for 2024. The group includes, front row, from left: Lisa Christiaansen, Tapped on Main in Medina; Renee Hungerford, executive director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee; Jenna Pangrazio and Brody Hoffmeister of Rudy's in Medina; Marisa and Matthew Burch, Chop's Shop Bar & Grill North in Lyndonville; and Tom Laine, owner of Frontier Heating & A/C Service. Back row: Brian Christiaansen of Tapped on Main, David Mitchell; Bob Gibbs of Environmental Construction Group in Albion; George Lacey and Samantha Tillman of Captain's Cove in Carlton; Gary and Maggie Roberts of Roberts Farm Market in Medina; Rex Harvey, Ray Laine and Lori Laine of Frontier Heating & A/C Service.
LYNDONVILLE – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored several businesses and community leaders during the 26th annual Chamber awards celebration last Thursday at the White Birch Golf Course.
Camber Director Darlene Hartway said the award winners all show tremendous “tenacity” in running successful businesses and completing projects for the community.
The following were recognized during the awards celebration:
Matt Burch, owner of Chop’s Shop Bar and Grilled North, accepts the award for new business of the year. He is joined at the podium by his wife Marisa, left, and Darlene Hartway, the Chamber director.
New Business of the Year – Chop’s Shop Bar and Grilled North in Lyndonville
Matt Burch opened Chop’s Shop Bar and Grilled North in the former Curly’s location on April 22.
Burch opened his first pizzeria in Gasport in 2008. He expanded that site in 2017, adding a bar. He is looking to add more to the Lyndonville site.
He thanked his employees for getting off to a good start in Lyndonville at 16 North Main St.
“It’s been a blessing so far in Lyndonville,” Burch said at the award dinner, which was attended by about 125 people. “The community has been so supportive.”
Darlene Hartway, the Chamber director, praised Burch for choosing Lyndonville for the new pizzeria.
“I’m always in awe of people willing to take that leap, especially in a small town,” she said.
Brian and Lisa Christiaansen accept the Phoenix Award for their extensive renovations to create Tapped on Main in Medina.
Phoenix Award – Tapped on Main at Mark’s Pizzeria in Medina
Brian and Lisa Christiaansen completed an extensive remodeling at at 549 Main St., Medina, in December 2019, opening a bar at Mark’s Pizzeria. The bar was forced to close due to Covid restrictions in March 2020.
The Christiaansens reopened Tapped on Main in 2021, and last year added a game and party room that can accommodate groups of up to about 50.
Brian Chriastiaansen opened his first Mark’s Pizzerias in Hamlin about 30 years ago, and followed with Mark’s in Bushnell’s Basin and then Brockport. He now has stores in Medina, Albion and Newfane.
He and his wife wanted to have a space for customers to sit down and dine and he and Lisa had always wanted a bar. They decided to combine a bar with the pizzeria, and became the first Mark’s franchise to serve beer and wine from a bar.
As part of the renovations they kept the original ceiling and brick walls in the historic building.
Agricultural Business of the Year – Roberts Farm Market
Gary and Maggie Roberts of Roberts Farm Market accept the award for Agricultural Business of the Year. The farm market is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The Roberts family has been farming since 1931 in Medina. In 1974, the family started a farm market on Maple Ridge Road, which has expanded and includes a greenhouse and apple cider press.
Gary and Maggie Roberts and two of their children, son Patrick and daughter Jenna Bruning, all have key roles in the operation today.
Gary praised his wife for the success of the farm market over many years.
“She has brought the market to where it is today,” Gary said during the awards banquet.
He said he is fortunate to have two of his children alongside him working in the business.
The farm began when Gary’s grandparents, Justin and Lorraine Roberts, purchased their home and 166 acres of land on Maple Ridge Road in 1931, just across from the farm market.
The family grows fruit on about 200 acres, yielding about 175,000 bushels. Of those 20,000 bushels are sold at the farm market or are used for making cider.
George Lacey, owner of Captain’s Cove in Carlton, accepts the Hidden Gem award. He is joined by Captain’s Cove manager Samantha Tillman, center, and Dawn Borchert, Orleans County tourism director.
Hidden Gem – Captain’s Cove Motel & Marina
The Chamber honors a business as a “Hidden Gem” for its role promoting and supporting Orleans County tourism, often without much fanfare.
George lacey has overcome many challenges since he purchased Captain’s Cove Motel & Marina in 2015. His wife passed away three weeks after Lacey bought the business, which was they flooded in 2017 and 2019.
He has rebuilt the store with improved parking on the upper level. All the wood in the new building came from the trees up on the hill.
Lacey recently obtained his beer license for the new store, and has groceries, fishing tackle, live bait and hunting licenses.
The property also includes a 14-unit motel and 32 slips. Captain’s Cove rents pontoons, fishing boats, kayaks and canoes. He has refrigerators available for fisherman to store their catch.
The entire west wall of the new building facing the river also has a new look. Mural artist Michelle Cryer of Clarendon is painting a large mural showing the lake and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.
Lacey was praised by Dawn Borchert, the county’s tourism director, for his hard work to make Captain’s Cove and Point Breeze a destination.
Lacey urged more people to invest in Point Breeze and local community.
“I see lots of opportunity in Orleans County,” he said.
Businessperson of the Year – Bob Gibbs of Environmental Construction Group
Bob Gibbs, owner of the Environmental Construction Group, is presented with the award of “Businessperson of the Year.” He accepts it from Lindsay Ward, regional director of the SUNY Brockport SBDC.
Bob Gibbs owns the Environmental Construction Group, a full-service abatement, remediation and selective demolition company. ECG is based in Albion and employs about 50 people.
Gibbs has worked in the environmental field for more than 30 years, starting when he was 23. Most of the company’s work in is Monroe County, doing remediation and demo work in some of the biggest construction projects in the Rochester area, including several school districts, Strong Memorial Hospital, Innovation Square (former Xerox Tower).
ECG also has taken on projects in New Jersey, Arkansas, Virginia, Texas and Wisconsin.
Gibbs has also bought distressed properties in Albion, done major renovations and sold them as homes. He is has cleared some vacant land, turning them into ready-to-build lots, and is currently transforming 101 East Bank St. into a place that can be rented out for parties.
Gibbs thanked his wife and two grown daughters for their support, and for riding “the emotional journey with me.”
He grew up helping his father, the late Robert Gibbs Sr., who was a contractor. Gibbs was 19 when he bought a house at age 19 and completely renovated it by age 21.
Brody Hoffmeister and his wife Jenna Pangrazio were honored with the Small Business of the Year for their commitment to Rudy’s Diner in Medina.
Small Business of the Year – Rudy’s Diner
Brody Hoffmeister was thrust into ownership of Rudy’s Diner following the death of his mother, Kelly Duffield, from cancer in October 2019.
Hoffmeister is the third generation to lead the establishment. In March 2020 he faced an unexpected challenge. The business was forced to close to in-person customers due to Covid restrictions. Rudy’s and other diners had to shift to takeout-only.
The pandemic sliced away a big chunk of Rudy’s business, and some customers did not return. They preferred the comfy booths, nostalgia and friendly faces at the popular diner.
Hoffmeister and his wife Jenna Pangrazio have retooled the operation, keeping the 1950s feel of the diner while offering a pared down but popular menu.
Hoffmeister urges the community to continue to support Rudy’s, where he said the focus on food is quality over quantity.
Rudy’s currently operates with 10 employees, down from a peak of 25 before Covid hit.
“We’ve had an uphill climb but we’re still here,” Hoffmeister said during the Chamber event.
Renee Hungerford, executive director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, accepts the Community Service Award on behalf of the agency that assists about 5,000 people a year. Mary Lou Tuohey, last year’s winner, is at right.
Community Service Award – Community Action of Orleans & Genesee
Community Action of Orleans & Genesee is an agency dedicated to helping people become self sufficient. The agency offers numerous services to help build a stronger community.
Community Action has more than 100 employees and the agency assists families of very young children through Early Head Start and Head Start, and has numerous other programs, including ACT (helping youth ACT responsibly), Stone Soup Success/Food Rx (educating to prepare healthy meals), Child Care Resource and Referral, Weatherization and Energy Services, Main Street Thrifts, Gifts and More store, a credit recovery program for Albion seniors, emergency services, holiday meals and gifts, the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley, which provides daily meals, a clothing depot and food giveaway.
Community Action is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Renee Hungerford, the executive director, said Community Action has been on a journey of transformation as an agency, embracing new technology while staying true to the mission of uplifting the community.
She said many people can find themselves thrust into poverty, whether from a tragic event or an illness. Sometimes, a rise in income from a higher minimum wage can lead to hardship, disqualifying people for some assistance and making their rent unaffordable. She urged compassion and understanding for some of the challenges of lower-income people in the community.
Tom Laine, owner of Frontier Heating & A/C Service, accepts the award for “Business of the Year.” Behind him are his son Ray Laine, left, and son-in-law, Rex Harvey, and Darlene Hartway from the Chamber. Ray and Rex are both key leaders at Frontier.
Business of the Year – Frontier Heating & A/C Service
In 1991, Tom Laine started Frontier Heating and AC Service in his garage. The business has grown to over 7,000 customers.
After four years in his garage, Frontier moved to East Bank Street in Albion. Last year, the business moved to a 12,000-square-foot facility on Route 31A.
The site has more parking and a larger a showroom to display the products they sell. Frontier services all brands and sell Amana and Mitsubishi equipment, as well as boilers, water heaters, air conditioning units and heat pumps. In addition they install Generac and Honeywell generators, and deal with all types of fuel, including natural gas, fuel oil, electricity and propane.
Frontier offers “around the clock service.” The business employs 15 to 20 people at any given time, nearly all Orleans County residents. Over the years, their service area has expanded to include Orleans, Monroe, Genesee, Niagara and Erie counties.
‘They’re not happy until you’re happy,” said Hartway, the Chamber director.
David Mitchell, left, is congratulated on the Lifetime Achievement Award by Darlene Hartway, center, and Mark Tillman, last year’s winner of the Lifetime Achievement.
Lifetime Achievement Award – David Mitchell of Mitchell Family Cremations and Funerals
David Mitchell wanted a career where he could make an impact with local families going through a tough time in life. He considered being a police officer, but chose to be a funeral director.
The community is grateful for that decision, said Mark Tillman, last year’s winner of the Lifetime Achievement for his long career running Tillman’s Village Inn.
Mitchell has served Orleans County for 40 years as a funeral director. He took over as owner of Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes after his father Rho retired. Mitchell has expanded to owning funeral homes in Middleport, Gasport and Medina, and has the business set up with local ownership long into the future with his son Josh Mitchell and Jake Hebdon from Cooper Funeral Home in Medina. Christopher Mitchell has been rebranded as Mitchell Family Cremations and Funerals.
David Mitchell has maintained and grown the local ownership of the funeral homes in an era when corporate conglomerates have been buying up funeral homes in smaller towns.
Tillman said David Mitchell has been a trusting presence for the community during times of immense grief.
“Compassion, dignity, professionalism, community service and, most of all, kindness,” Tillman said in listing some of Mitchell’s attributes.
Mitchell has been active in many community organizations – as a member of the Holley Rotary Club and Albion Lions Club, as a board member for Community Action, United Way, Ministry of Concern and the Curtis Foundation.
He sponsors many local events and gives to other community causes and projects, including donating two vans to the Orleans Joint Veterans Council to transport veterans to medical appointments.
Mitchell Family Cremations and Funerals has eight employees, including two long-time funeral directors: Paula Fuller with 30 years and Scott Schmidt with 27. Mitchell said the employees are committed to the community and are instrumental to the business’s success.
Tillman quoted the late Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
Tillman followed that by saying, “David, the love shows.”
