The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber presented four individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the Valley and beyond with special awards at its Annual Meeting on Thursday at Waypoint 4180 in Canfield.
Honored with the Chamber’s Valley Champion and Spirit awards were:
- Valley Champion Award – Wally King
King is co-founder of HBK CPAs & Consultants, which has grown into one of the premier comprehensive financial services firms in the U.S. with 16 offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey and New York, as well as a location in Delhi, India. King, who will turn 102 years old in October, also was a World War II combat pilot. He flew 74 successful missions before he was shot down on his final 75th mission over Germany southeast of Berlin. King spent his final weeks of the war injured and in captivity before he was reunited with U.S. forces.
- Valley Champion Award – Gary Wagner
Wagner, a native of Warren, is a professor of economics at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and editor-in-chief of the Public Finance Review. From 2016 through 2018, Wagner served as vice president & senior regional officer for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. His insights have been sought after by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNN, reflecting his expertise in regional economies and public finance. Wagner also gave the keynote address, an economic outlook, the local implications of which he discussed with Mike McGiffin, vice president of engagement and investor relations with Lake to River Economic Development.
- Spirit of the Valley Award – Dan Rivers
Rivers is the retired host of “The Dan Rivers Show” on News Radio 570 WKBN. The “Voice of the Valley,” as he is known, worked at the station for more than 40 years, including more than 20 years filling the 9 a.m. to noon time slot fielding calls from listeners and giving commentary on some of the most important issues facing the Valley, state, nation and world, from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to the pandemic to the seismic political shift in the Valley. Rivers stepped away full-time from the microphone in November.
- Spirit of the Chamber – Shelley Murray
Murray is CEO of Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries. Prior to joining Goodwill in October 2023, Murray had a long, successful career in education, including roles as principal, vice president and head of schools at Valley Christian Schools. Her passion and dedication for helping others led her and her team at Goodwill to partner with the Chamber last year to study workforce needs in the region as part of a joint initiative to grow the workforce by helping residents overcome barriers to employment.
Also at the meeting—attended by more than 500 people—the co-hosts of the Ohio Lottery’s Cash Explosion Television Show, David McCreary and Alissa Henry, led the crowd through a scaled-down, full-filled version of the gameshow. Eight participants took home Cash Explosion swag.