Ken Bartels of Elmhurst will receive the 2019 Chairman’s Award at the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 101st Annual Awards Gala in the main floor ballroom at The Drake Oak Brook Hotel in Oak Brook on Friday, January 31, 2020, from 5 to 9 p.m.
Traditionally, the annual award is given to a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors for his/her outstanding service to the Board, Chairman and President/CEO or to a non-Director for praiseworthy contributions or performance.
Bartels is a Senior Vice President at Community Bank of Elmhurst and Principal at Ken Bartels Consulting, whose clients include the City of Elmhurst.
“Ken is a close friend, trusted confidant and valued mentor,” said John R. Quigley, ECCI President and CEO since 1999, 2007 Chairman’s Award recipient and active in the Elmhurst Chamber since 1991, “whose contributions to our Chamber in the four decades since out paths first crossed are simply immeasurable.
“I worked alongside Ken at Elmhurst College, my Alma Mater, for nearly a decade during which time he fostered my participation in our Chamber and then endorsed my candidacy for Chamber President,” added Quigley.
Bartels becomes the first three-time recipient of the Chairman’s Award, having previously been honored first in 1997 and then again in 2009.
Outgoing ECCI Board Chair Kevin Kost of Edward Jones Investments will present the award to Bartels.
“Kevin witnessed Ken’s leadership qualities as the Board Chair’s right-hand man during our Centennial Celebration year and found Ken’s Past Chair counsel in 2019 invaluable on so many levels,” stated Quigley.
Bartels is serving his third tenure as a Chamber Director—since his 2015 appointment following Charity Ahlgrim’s retired from CBE—and he chaired the Board during ECCI’s 100th Anniversary. He previously served on the Board from 1992-94 and 2003-09, and is a reserve member of the green-coated Chamber Ambassadors.
In his role as a contracted consultant, Bartels works with the City’s Economic Development Commission, which is comprised of 15 appointed members and three ex-officio members (including Quigley), towards business recruitment and retention.
Previously, Bartels was a two-term member on the Elmhurst Economic Development Corporation, a public-private partnership (1996-2006) that preceded the Commission, serving as both Vice Chair (1999-2000) and the Chair (2000-01).
Prior to joining CBE, Bartels served as Elmhurst College’s Vice President for College Advancement for more than a quarter of a century.
An Elmhurst resident for four decades, Bartels serves on the Board of Directors of the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation and Elmhurst Walk-In Assistance Network, and is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of Elmhurst.
Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community.
The Chamber’s mission is to promote an environment that creates success for local businesses and our community.
The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.