From left are Karen Kearney, Jessica Splawski of Bemus Point Golf Club & Tap House; Bridget Majka of Chautauqua County Rural Ministry; Lindsey Smith of Porter-Blair Cleaning Co.; Angelo Marra, Danielle Marra of West Main Mercantile; Heather White of Triple E MFG & Design, Inc. and Ellen Ditonto and Dave Leathers of Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.

By JO WARD

editorial@observertoday.com

A beautiful night greeted the attendees of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce business awards banquet Thursday. In a packed room, people bounced around, congratulating all of the businesses and milestone recognitions.

The first honoree was West Main Mercantile for Emerging Business of the Year. A brick-and-mortar storefront located in one of the few remaining historic buildings on West Main Street in Falconer the space dates back to the early 1900s. There, they sell locally produced goods, including candles, soap, furniture, food items, jewelry, and various other products. Their future initiative involves construction that they’re doing behind the retail space of an art studio, which will allow them to offer creative classes in hopes of continuing to celebrate and embrace their community.

“Emerging business of the year, sure we’re just a brick-and-mortar,” said Danielle Marra of the business. “The emerging businesses of the year are everyone that has been there so thank you to all of them.”

The Hospitality Business of the Year award this year went to the White Inn. Following a multimillion dollar renovation in 2024, the historic White Inn made a triumphant comeback for the village of Fredonia. The iconic business offers high quality lodging, dining, and event space as well as on-site catering. The White Inn is a welcomed return in a beautiful, historic small-town village.

The Service Business of the Year award went to Porter-Blair Cleaning and Co. A janitorial service for office buildings, medical suites and various other businesses, it was founded by Lindsey Smith five years ago in Jamestown. She now employs several individuals and was even nominated by some of them, a quote from her employees stating that “Lindsey is everything a boss should be.”

“We are very grateful and thankful to be honored for this award,” Smith shared. “And we are excited for our future.”

Triple E MFG & Design, Inc. was this year’s winner of the Producer of the Year award. Forty years ago this family business opened their doors with the sale of nylon halters for horses. Now, in its second generation this entirely women-ran business has incorporated nylon manufacturing, embroidery, screen printing and engraving. They deliver their goods all over the world and are key to helping local businesses and sport teams as well as continuing to produce horse and livestock halters as well as portable hay bags.

“We are very proud of customer service. We are built on integrity, respect and loyalty,” said owner Heather White. “A staff is essential to how and why we are the way we are today.”

The Not-for-Profit of the Year honor went to Chautauqua County Rural Ministry.

Serving roughly 250 individuals every day and providing more than 2,300 meals per month, this organization plays a vital role in hunger relief and is the only soup kitchen operating year-round in Northern Chautauqua County. They also offer inexpensive used clothing and furniture, a gleaning program that rescues over 100,000 pounds of food that is redistributed, an emergency food pantry and specialized support services.

“We’re just here to help everyone in the best way that we can,” Executive Director Bridget Majka said. “Our motto here is to give a hand up not a hand out and without everyone that has helped us we wouldn’t be able to be here to help others, so we’re very thankful and glad that we’re here still.”

The Jamestown Board of Public Utilities was honored this year with the Business Champion Award.

Since 2022, the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities has been instrumental in promoting clean energy development for manufacturing within Chautauqua County. Their ability to offer low cost power to industries within its service area has been helpful for driving business creation within the Jamestown area. They were invaluable in this year’s Retool conference at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, which gathered people from around the state for critical discussions about improving efficiencies, emerging clean energy technologies, and more. In addition, they also worked with the city of Jamestown Department of Development and the Gebbie foundation to launch a developers forum which included walking and bus tours to show developers available sites for development opportunities within the area.

The last award of the night, Business of the Year was given to the Bemus Point Golf Club & Tap House. Eight years in the making this location has undergone a major transformation. Bryce Steffen and his wife Rachael Wiley-Steffen purchased the property in 2017 and it has become a hub of activity for the village of Bemus Point.

In addition to extensive renovations to the golf course and the building, they have made several investments into the property, including the tap house. They employ over 45 team members during the peak summer season with many of them staying on year after year.

“What sets us apart most is the love we pour back into the community,” Wiley-Steffen noted. “From live music and charity tournaments to pop-up markets, holiday celebrations and seasonal festivals, the Bemus Point Golf Club & Tap House has become more than a business; it is a gathering place.”

Other businesses honored Thursday included Whizz-n-Smash, Stella:A Kitchen and Bar, Full Strength Coffee Co., Chautauqua Soap Company, Lake Shore Center for the Arts, Concord Quilting Studio, Betts Insurance Agency, Maple Springs Tree Service, Elegant Edibles Catering, Shawbucks, Peaceful Designs, Falconer Power Sports/Harley Davidson of Jamestown, Kiwanis Club of Westfield-Ripley, Gebbie Foundation, JCC, Westfield Nursery & Garden Center and Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier.