Chamber banquet honors Custer’s stars

The Custer Area Chamber of Commerce presented its most prestigious annual honor—the Lifetime Achievement Award—to Jenny’s Floral owner Jenny Behlings last Thursday night. The award was presented at the end of the chamber’s annual membership banquet held at the Sylvan Lake Lodge in Custer State Park.
Presenting the plaque was Jenny’s Floral store manager Carrie Moore, who said the business has been a fixture of downtown Custer for nearly 35 years.
“No doubt, Jenny’s Floral has the reputation of being a helpful, supportive and friendly environment,” said Moore, “which would never be the case if not for its owner.”
Moore said Behlings is always willing to support other organizations’ endeavors without hesitation, donating money, time or floral products. She said through her business, Behlings has been able to do many things, such as decorate the White House and travel around the country promoting floriculture, but she said her greatest cause has been championing Custer and the surrounding communities.
Moore also listed several of the committees and organizations Behlings has been involved with over the years, including PEO, South Dakota Retailers Assoc., Monument Health’s Custer Hospital board, Custer Ambulance District and the Custer Mile High Garden Club, of which she was a founding member.
Coming to the podium to accept her plaque, Behlings joked about Moore, “First of all, she’s fired and Tim’s not far behind her,” referencing her husband, who had misled her about his reasons for attending the banquet.
On a more serious note, Behlings continued her acceptance speech by recalling her father’s reaction when she first told him she was going to open the shop three and a half decades ago.
“Nobody’s gonna buy flowers,” he had told her, but she had responded that she would be selling happiness, congratulations and sympathy. She said the community has supported the shop tremendously over the years, concluding with, “I love you all.”
The first award of the evening was the annual Community Service Award presented to Corey Virtue. In announcing the honor, presenter Russ Bailey defined community service as volunteer work or service that is intended to better society. He said groups working toward that goal have one constant, the “I-know-a-guy guy.”
He said for the chamber and other organizations in Custer, whatever the need—be it a trailer, a venue for an event or a volunteer—Virtue is the person who always responds with “I know a guy.”  
He said Virtue has been involved with efforts like Christmas for Kids, Gold Discovery Days, kids’ soccer and basketball and is a VFW board member.
“He has volunteered to help with about every fundraiser that has come along,” said Bailey. “The thing that really sets Corey apart is his attitude toward all things Custer. He is at all the events and you can’t count how many times he has just stepped in to help when needed.”
Custer Elementary principal Barb Paulson stood in for Superintendent Mark Naugle who was ill, in presenting the Government Employee of the Year Award to South Dakota Department of Transportation regional engineer, Rich Zacher.
Reading from Naugle’s nomination form, Paulson said Naugle had worked closely with Zacher over the past eight years in making important decisions about weather and its impact on the safety of the district’s 1,000 students. Naugle said he often contacted Zacher for things other than weather closings as well.
“Whether it is guardrails, speed limits, weather or parking issues, I know I can talk with Rich and get a thoughtful response from a person who is looking for reasons to say ‘yes’ to my request, not looking for reasons to tell me ‘no,’” wrote Naugle.
“Rich has been an active part of the Custer community,” Naugle continued, “volunteering at the YMCA, serving on the YMCA board, the Rocky Knolls Golf Course board, the St. John’s Catholic Church board and the Custer Knights of Columbus board.”
This year’s Extra Mile Award was presented to Steve and Shelley Engelbrecht of State Farm Insurance and Heart of the Hills Catering. Presenter Lea Anne McWhorter said the award was going to two businesses in the same building, “who are really one.”
“Throughout this last year, you may have seen them at many public events,” said McWhorter, “attending chamber ribbon cuttings and mixers, announcing at events, scooping up pulled pork sandwiches and organizing events for the community fun and fundraising.”
Among the events the Engelbrechts helped organize and run, McWhorter listed last year’s Quarantine Cruize (a mobile car show on the streets of Custer), the Easter candy hunt for children, the Veterans’ Patriot Hot Dog Stand, a school supply drive for Custer Elementary School and delivering treats to welcome new staff at a school district teacher orientation.
“Thank you, Steve and Shelley,” concluded McWhorter, “for all that you do and for always going the extra mile for all of us.”
Keely Mahony of Black Hills Balloons was the presenter for the Individual of the Year Award.
“Traditionally, the Individual of the Year is someone who’s involved in the betterment, growth and improvement of the Custer area on their own time,” said Mahony, “and this year is no exception.”
She said this year’s Individual of the Year, Krystal Hegerfeld, has supported local arts through the Custer Area Arts Council, has helped share the environmental impacts of the mountain pine beetle infestation as a volunteer for the annual Burning Beetle event and making a difference for children as a Girl Scout troop leader—all on her own time.
“She’s the first to raise her hand when a volunteer is needed,” said Mahony. “She’s just always taking care of others. In fact, I might have convinced her into coming tonight—on her own birthday, no less—by calling in a favor because I knew she couldn’t say no.”
The Business of the Year Award was presented to Jim and Amy Ashmore of Southern Hills Title Company.
“This business contributes constantly,” said presenter Janet Boyer. “They never miss an occasion.”
Boyer called Ashmore a “goer,” and said the title company’s service and business professionalism are “exemplary.”
“There’s nothing better than growing up in a little community and watching things happen,” said Custer native Ashmore in accepting the award. “I’ve always wanted to be able to return the favor. To come back home is a great thing!”
There was a bit of confusion leading up to the presentation of the President’s Choice Award by chamber board president, Amy Bailey. Time was taken to place a video call to someone not in attendance at the banquet.
“In thinking about this year’s award, I couldn’t help but immediately go to this person,” said Bailey in beginning her presentation. “Past employees said there isn’t much of anything in Custer this person hasn’t been involved in or attended in some manner.”
Bailey went on to say the recipient had been involved in Burning Beetle and the Sound of Silence Tesla Rally as well as attending public meetings and forums to stay up to date with changes coming to Custer.
“This person has been known to flip pancakes at both the Buffalo Roundup and for the Lion’s Club,” said Bailey, “has helped the NRA, Ducks Unlimited and emceed parades in Custer.”
She also said the recipient had been a board member of  Black Hills Economic Development and was a frequent attender and unofficial photographer for many ribbon cuttings around the area.
When Bailey announced the award winner as retired Highmark Credit Union branch manager Kelly Miller, the phone was turned to the audience to show the face of Miller who had already traveled to his winter home in Arizona.  
With the recent departure of former chamber director Dolsee Davenport, the task of giving the annual report at the beginning of the awards program fell to Bailey.  She noted how busy things had been during the summer travel season and thanked the business community for rising to meet the challenge and for supporting chamber events held nearly every month of the year.  
“Driving down Main Street could be a bit like playing Frogger,” Bailey joked about the summer traffic.
She also announced that a new chamber director had been hired but said his start date was dependent on finding him a place to live. The only identifying information given out was that the new director’s first name is Tim.