114th Annual Meeting & Recognition Program

The 2021 Annual Meeting was rescheduled to March 7, 2022 due to the pandemic.

Congratulations to the 2021 Annual Meeting Award Recipients!

Rachel Hansen | Outstanding Chamber Volunteer

Our Outstanding Chamber Volunteer Award recognizes an individual or organization who has been dedicated to serving the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce.

Rachel Hansen of Oshkosh Corporation has demonstrated her dedication to the community and the Oshkosh Chamber through her involvement with various organizations. She serves as President of Propel-Oshkosh’s Young Professional’s Network, President of West Side Association and sits on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee for the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce.

James Price | Propel Young Professional of the Year

The Propel Young Professional Award is given to an individual between the ages of 21 and 40 who is making a difference in our community.

James Price currently works for the Wisconsin Herd as the Director of Marketing and Digital, helping them grow across all of their digital channels. He uses his marketing knowledge and experience to help Propel as he serves on the Marketing Committee to help with all social media efforts. James believes Propel is an excellent place to meet like-minded people looking to make their community a better place to live and work. Since coming to the Fox Valley, James has made it a priority to be active within the community. He has been involved with the City of Oshkosh as a member of their Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee and Oshkosh’s Go Transit Board. James also volunteers his time to places such as the Community Church Oshkosh and the Oshkosh Food Pantry.

Patti Langkau | Ambassador of the Year

The Ambassador of the Year Award is given to a Chamber Ambassador who has demonstrated outstanding dedication, service and leadership to advance the mission of the Oshkosh Chamber.

Patti Langkau has been a dedicated Chamber Ambassador for the past five years. You will often find Patti at Business After Hours, AM Oshkosh or supporting business growth at Chamber held ribbon cuttings. In addition to her 20 years of working in the banking/mortgage lending industry, she also serves as the Vice President of DC Villars of Hope, a Board Member of Winnegame Home Builders Association and the Secretary of West Side Association.

Jon Doemel | Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is given to honor the dedicated leadership of a retiring Chamber Board Member and specifically Chairman of the Board.

Jon Doemel was elected to the Board of Directors in 2015, and was selected by his peers to serve as Chairman of the Board in 2018. He served on the Board for six years and as a member of the Executive Committee for three years. He was elected as Winnebago County Executive in April of 2021 and is the owner of Zaroni’s Restaurant.

Wilson Jones | Lynne Webster Leadership Award

This award is presented in memory of Lynne Webster, a woman who exemplified a commitment to Oshkosh like no other.

It is given to an individual who is making Oshkosh a better place through their leadership.

As the past CEO of Oshkosh Corporation, Wilson Jones was chosen for his leadership of the long-term structural change resulting in a “People First” culture within Oshkosh Corporation and a long-term positive impact on the community. He was a major driver in the inception of Oshkosh Kids, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce and leader in numerous other non-profits. Under his guidance, the Leadership Oshkosh program days were permitted to be held in the Oshkosh Corporation conference rooms during COVID. Without that happening, the program would have been offered only virtually. Most notably, his legacy will always be etched into the community’s landscape for securing the Oshkosh Corporation World Headquarters in Oshkosh.

Bob Burnell | Alberta S. Kimball Community Service Award

The Alberta S. Kimball Community Service Award is given to an individual or organization that has made a significant impact on the Oshkosh Community.

For over 20 years, Bob Burnell brought local, regional and national news to Oshkosh, providing his unique perspective and commentary. As morning show host on WOSH radio, Bob consistently helped in the promotion of local events and activities. For years, Bob was the sole source of local information. After his retirement, he continues to provide local news twice a week as host of the Bank First sponsored, Oshkosh Chamber “It’s Newsworthy” segments.

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh | Horizon Award

The Horizon Award is given to a person or organization with a clear and distinctive vision of the future for Oshkosh.

2021 marked the 150th anniversary of UW-Oshkosh and the long tradition of excellence and opportunity. Since their inception in 1871, their dedication to quality and innovative higher education has been a hallmark to their success. UWO is focused on developing and advancing new online academic offerings while continuing to reimagine the institution’s role and identity as a beacon for research and related community collaboration. In addition, UWO prioritizes strengthening all three of their campuses as places where all are welcome and able to proceed and succeed in earning a degree. It is their goal to ensure their campuses have the space to grow while providing resources to flourish for decades to come.

Enterprise of the Year | Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)

The Enterprise of the Year Award is in recognition of a local business that continues to grow and provide our community with a significant and consistent amount of jobs and support.

The Experimental Aircraft Association brought the aviation world’s enthusiasm back to Oshkosh in 2021 with the return of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, after a one-year hiatus caused by the COVID pandemic. Any worries about the success of AirVenture’s return were quickly dashed, as aviation fans came flocking back. Total attendance reached 608,000, a level that nearly matched the record attendance in 2019. The event’s return also enabled Oshkosh to enjoy the economic benefits as we welcomed thousands of visitors back to our community.

At the same time, EAA commenced its first addition to the EAA Aviation Center in more than 20 years. The 30,000-square foot addition is creating a Youth Education Center that will benefit local students as well as those throughout the nation, plus a Pilot Proficiency Center that will make Oshkosh a year-round destination for aviation safety training. The $6.2-million project, completely financed through donations, is scheduled to open this spring with a formal dedication during AirVenture 2022.

Muza Sheet Metal | Small Business of the Year

Businesses of many sizes make Oshkosh a great place to live and work, but this year we would like to shine the spotlight Muza Sheet Metal.

Rooted in family, employee value and a drive for continued growth, Muza Sheet Metal Co. has been in business since 1928 and has been pushing the status quo and expanding ever since. Starting with about 15 employees between 1998 and 2000, Muza now has over 120 active employees and has expanded from 10,000 square feet to 110,000. When Muza Sheet Metal Co. was founded, it was focused on the sheet metal industry primarily in the heat, ventilation, architectural, and dust-collecting products. Since then, they have expanded into the Architectural Sheet Metal design products with a focus on numerous areas.

We also recognized businesses celebrating Milestone Anniversaries Congratulations to the following:

Horicon Bank: 125 Years
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh: 150 Years
Nolte’s Service & 24 Hour Towing: 50 Years