The Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce has honored a business leader dedicated to expanding business in the region, a full-service metal fabrication shop, and a longtime community volunteer who died earlier this year.
The chamber presented its annual awards on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 7, during its annual meeting, held at the Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport.
The event, which celebrated the chamber’s past year of successes, drew a crowd of more than 650 business and community leaders.
Those awards and honorees included:
- Regional Champion of the Year: Ian Frink.
- Business of the Year: Oertel Metal Works.
- Volunteer of the Year: Larry Makoben.
Mr. Frink is co-owner of Crawford Company and Crawford Brew Works. He is also owner of Seaberg Industries and Monoxivent. He has been a proponent of business and economic growth, and has been a champion of regionalism in the area.
“In order to realize our potential as a community, it is imperative to view ourselves internally as one team,” Mr. Frink said in a news release. “We must also present ourselves as one region. This is the mindset we have at Crawford Company; our team buys into the concept and we incorporate regionalism into our strategic planning.”
Mr. Frink also serves on the boards of the Rock Island/Milan Education Foundation, and Rejuvenate Housing Inc., Davenport. He is a former Davenport City Council member, past chair of Quad Cities First, and held board positions with DavenportOne, Vera French Community Mental Health Center and the Quad Cities Marathon. He continues to serve on the marathon committee.
Oertel Metal Works, located at 9104 N. Zenith Ave., Davenport, is a McCarthy-Bush Company. It is a full-service metal fabrication shop with 88 employees. Oertel has invested millions of dollars in capital improvements, and has seen a 76% increase in staff over the past 24 months.
“We’ve seen a lot of change over the last 24 months. Our team has grown and persevered in a way I’m proud of every day and I credit this incredible recognition to each of them,” said Brian Kzryaniak, Oertel president, in the chamber release.
The company’s reputation of getting work done fast and accurately is one of the big reasons for Oertel’s growth in the past two years, and its predictions of more growth in the coming years, Mr. Krzyaniak said in a recent interview with the QCBJ.
Here is a look at the company:
- Oertel does metal fabrication work. One of the company slogans is that it delivers “custom solutions made of metal.” Its work includes producing very small metal parts to massive-sized machinery.
- Some of the industries Oertel serves includes mining, railcar, food service, recycling, automation, agriculture, material handling and construction.
- In addition to hiring more employees, the company also is a partner in local school apprenticeship programs and is helping train local high school students in the skilled trades.
- Oertel has invested in capital equipment to improve company operations. Some of the additional equipment includes a high definition laser, paint booth and an abrasive blast booth.
- The company recently leased 11,000 square feet of space in a building near West Second and Howell streets in Davenport to house some of Oertel’s equipment.
Larry Makoben, who died on Jan. 17, was posthumously honored with the chamber’s Volunteer of the Year Award, which was accepted by his family. The 83-year-old Bettendorf man – a retired banker – helped welcome new businesses, served as a volunteer on many boards, and did many jobs, big and small, to help improve the Quad Cities.
During his many years volunteering with the QC Chamber, he was an active member of its Chamber Ambassadors organization. Ambassadors are “highly visible advocates for the chamber and often serve as the first point of contact for members celebrating their business success through ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings,” according to the QC Chamber.
“You would literally see Larry everywhere. He spent a lot of time giving his time and talents to the community,” Bettendorf Mayor Bob Gallagher, who knew Mr. Makoben for more than 25 years, said in the chamber release.
In June, QC Chamber members also honored Mr. Makoben by placing a memorial bench in his honor at the Palmer Hills Golf Course in Bettendorf.
Several people at the bench dedication event commented that Mr. Makoben was often called “Mr. Bettendorf” because of the volunteer work he did in that community.
“‘Mr. Bettendorf’ will always be remembered right here at the golf course,” Mr. Gallagher said at that earlier ceremony.
