BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Every spring, Opelika’s business community takes inventory of itself, counting up the businesses that opened, tallying the jobs it created and celebrating the people who made it happen.
On Friday, May 29, that celebration came with a new backdrop: Opelika High School’s basketball arena, a place better known for buzzer-beaters and student sections clad in red and black.
There, more than 500 members, business leaders and community partners gathered for the Opelika Chamber of Commerce’s 85th annual meeting luncheon, a tradition that has quietly tracked the city’s story for the better part of a century.
For Chamber President and CEO Ali Rauch, the luncheon is the product of nearly a year of planning, held deliberately at the end of the fiscal year so the organization can look back on the past 12 months in a succinct awards.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment for our team, because it’s our largest event that we put on in terms of attendees,” Rauch said. “Serving lunch to over 500 people has a lot of moving parts, and a lot of partners come into play to make sure it’s successful, but I’m really just grateful for the team.”
Rauch credited the Chamber’s momentum to a community that prioritizes economic growth and gives employers incentives to build or expand.
A marketer by trade who came to the Chamber from Chicken Salad Chick, Rauch added that she weighs every program by whether it helps members get a return on their investment.
“I think it starts with the community as a whole, because our business leaders and government leaders create an environment that is friendly and healthy for businesses to succeed,” Rauch said. “On top of that, I think we’ve created an environment that is very inclusive and that people want to be a part of, and we’ve also been very strategic.”
The highlight of the luncheon was the presenting of a host of individual and business awards stretching across multiple categories.
Crystal Russell of MidSouth Bank was named Ambassador of the Year, Kendyl White of Flipper Marketing was honored as Businesswoman of the Year and Winston Smith T Building Supply earned the Legendary Award, which is reserved for businesses that have operated for 50 years or more.
Brian Benson of Texas Roadhouse took the Chairman’s Award and Lin + Leigh Catering and Events won the Emerging Business Award.
Awards honoring top-performing businesses of all sizes then followed.
Room2Room Movers was honored among employers with one to 10 employees, while Whistle Stop Bottle and Brew won the 11 to 50 employees category. Among larger businesses, Bonnie Plants took the 51 to 100 employees category, and Southern Union State Community College was named the area’s Top Large Employer.
But it was the Spirit of Opelika award that seemed to catch its winner off guard.
Ronnie Wilson, an Opelika native and lifelong resident who graduated from OHS, was overwhelmed with emotions after being recognized for his contributions to the city’s successes.
“I don’t have the words to explain it,” Wilson said, recalling his time on the Industrial Development Board, where he helped recruit employers such as Niagara and HL Mando. “Considering the people who have gotten this award before me, I just feel honored to be a part of that crowd.”
The arena itself was a first for the event. The high school had hosted the luncheon in its indoor practice facility in recent years, but new weightlifting equipment had recently crowded the space, prompting the district to look to the gymnasium.
“Once we measured, remeasured and measured again, we realized that we could host just as many people, maybe more,” said Becky Brown, public relations director for Opelika City Schools. “It’s just a wonderful opportunity for us to bring the community into Opelika High School to talk about how great Opelika High School and Opelika City Schools are. I think it’s a sense of pride for us to host it, and we’re just excited about that.
If 85 years have built the Chamber into a fixture, Rauch is already thinking about the next milestone: the 100th meeting, 15 years down the road.
She wants the Chamber’s building to be a hub for business and connection by then, a place for retirees, newcomers and young professionals alike, and the new arena, with room for about 600, leaves space to grow.
“Really, it’s just about continuing to make each one of ours bigger and better,” she said, “We want people to come in, visit and see it, and realize that they have a place, a home and a way to make an impact with us at the Opelika Chamber.”
