Chamber award winners

Top honors: Winners of annual awards presented Wednesday at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting

MAVERICK CHALLENGE

First place: Nick Glesing (1) and Tyler Heathcote (2), for creating their Truckin’ Good Pancakes business plan, which uses a food truck to bring breakfast to young professionals.

Second place: Madisyn Prince (3) and Kelsey Lieberman (4), for their plan for M&K Wedding Planning, a full-service company.

Innovation Award: Anay Gangal (5), for his Deskomp idea, which uses technology to create a more efficient way for students to take tests, submit assignments and personalize their workspace.

COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Faurecia: Operates an emissions technologies business in with more than 1,600 employees. A $91 million investment in a manufacturing facility at Walesboro will result in 130 more jobs. Sponsors the Edna V. Folger Outstanding Teacher Award. Employees provided more than 51,000 meals to the Love Chapel food pantry and volunteered their help at Love Chapel. Sponsors the annual Our Hospice of South Central Indiana concert. Supports the Columbus Recycles program, is partner with Foundation For Youth and its employee contributions to the United Way grew by 60 percent. Pictured, Dave DeGraff, President North America Operations for Emission Control Technologies.

EDNA V. FOLGER OUTSTANDING TEACHER

Mike Riley: C4 electronics teacher at Columbus North High School. Also has designed online courses and teaches at the college level. Developed a virtual tutoring platform. Involved with activities such as the FIRST Robotics program and the solar car project. Involved with the Holiday Lights Music Display that benefits Love Chapel. Receives a $4,000 stipend for winning the award.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Ian Kohen: Director of North America automotive engine sales at Cummins. Has volunteered for 15 years for the Dance Marathon that supports Turning Point Domestic Violence Services Inc., assisting more than 1,000 students during that time. A member of the Columbus Human Rights Commission who helped expand protected classes in Columbus’ human rights ordinance. Mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

COMMUNITY INITIATIVE

iGrad: An initiative that started in 2012 with the goal of increasing Bartholomew County’s graduation rate from 85 percent to 100 percent within five years. Launched through the efforts of Cummins Inc., the Community Education Coalition, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus. Pictured, from left, front row, Sara Donathan-Smith, Christy Boes, Laurie Dickerson, Jennifer Steadman-Ryan; back row, Steven Combs and Bill Jensen