Patricia McGinnis was awarded the 2025 Athena award. For over 60 years, Patricia has been a guiding light in the BG community. From her early days as a teacher to her years as principal at Conneaut Elementary, she became known not just for her love of teaching, but for her kindness, her smile, and her unwavering commitment to every student, colleague, and family she encountered.  

Matt Karaffa was awarded the 2025 Zeus award. Through the Better Foundation, Matt has spent countless hours supporting youth, particularly those facing adversity, by providing mentorship, guidance, and the tools they need to overcome challenges and thrive.

The 2025 Outstanding Citizen of the Year award was presented to Manny Patel. Owner of Bowling Green’s beloved Dairy Queen, he’s created more than just a successful business—he’s built a welcoming space and a strong local presence. But his contributions reach far beyond his storefront.  He’s also a passionate advocate for our schools, helping with PTO fundraisers and initiatives like 1 Book BG, demonstrating his commitment to education and youth.

The 2025 Outstanding Citizen of the Year award was presented to Marcia Sloan Latta. She has been a driving force in Bowling Green for decades. As the founding and current president of the Bowling Green Community Foundation, she has led impactful initiatives like the Hometown Heroes Banner Program and continues to inspire through her commitment to civic engagement. Her commitment to faith and family is equally strong—serving at St. Thomas More University Parish, volunteering in 4-H, and being a devoted wife and mother.

The 2025 I Love BG award was presented to 1 Book BG. Since 2015, 1 Book BG has inspired a love of books among our youngest residents by giving every elementary student a book to take home and read together. Additionally, their work goes beyond the page—they bring in authors to meet students and create meaningful, lasting experiences that spark a lifelong passion for reading.  

InTech IT Solutions was awarded the 2025 Small Business of the Year award, serving the region for over 25 years, offering cutting-edge technology solutions—from software development to cloud computing and cybersecurity. What truly sets this company apart is their dedication to customer service.

Trotters Tavern was awarded the 2025 Outstanding Customer Service award as they are known for exceptional food, especially its signature “Little Brown Jug Steak,” but what truly sets it apart is the quality of service that accompanies every meal. The team at Trotter’s Tavern has consistently demonstrated genuine care for their customers.

Greg Esposito was presented the 2025 Greg Kegler Volunteerism award for volunteering his time and resources to support events like the Business Expo and Holiday Parade. Whether it’s providing financial support, offering IT assistance, or transporting materials, his contributions are invaluable.

Elaine Goodwin was presented the 2024 I Love BG Award for her many years of volunteerism to make BG a better place to live.

Mark Cassin was awarded the 2024 Greg Kegler Volunteerism Award for his many hours of community service, work with the Chamber, and generosity and support of community events.

Elite Collegiate Apparel was awarded the 2024 Small Business of the Year Award for their constant innovation, growth, great work environment, and commitment to the BG community.

Dairy Queen of Bowling Green was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Customer Service Award for their stellar customer service experience, commitment to tasty food, and for their extensive community involvement.

Linda Lander was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award for her many years of community service advocating for our most vulnerable populations.

Dr. Heath Diehl was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award for his tireless work with community organizations that better BG’s quality of life.

Mark Remeis was awarded the 2024 Zeus Award for his support and mentorship of women in the workplace.

Stacie Wenig Anderson was awarded the 2024 Athena Award for her advocacy and support of young women, and for providing an excellent role model in the agricultural community.

Wendy Headley was the 2023 Athena Recipient. She was recognized for actively supporting and mentoring women and children in many ways.

Jason Miller was the 2023 Zeus Award Recipient. He was recognized for encouraging women to achieve their full leadership potential through active mentoring, supporting and development actions.

Margie Harris was the 2023 Outstanding Female Citizen of the Year. She was recognized for tirelessly serving the Bowling Green community through working concessions, participating in PTO, fostering eight children, and her commitment to creating a better community for those with disabilities.

Brian Paskvan was the 2023 Outstanding Male Citizen of the Year Recipient. Paskvan was recognized for his outstanding leadership of the Wood County District Public Library, where he served as president for 14 years and created events like the “Speaker Series” and Novel Night Fundraisers.

Elite Collegiate Apparel was the 2023 Outstanding Customer Service Recipient. They were recognized for setting their customer service standards incredibly high upon opening their doors in 2017 and continuing to meet those lofty expectations years later. They support both BGSU and Bowling Green City Schools with t-shirt donations and creating awareness for all of their important events.

Kabob-It was the 2023 Small Business of the Year Award Recipient. They were recognized for always being on the cutting edge of innovation after forging their own path in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic by delivering meals throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan, as well as being on the front lines of the downtown parklet projects

Kent Kokomoor was the 2023 Greg Kegler Volunteerism Award Recipient. He was recognized for tirelessly working to better the Bowling Green community, both through his involvement with the Chamber of Commerce and using his own business, Elite Collegiate Apparel. With the Chamber, Kokomoor chairs countless project teams, including the Business Council, Business Expo, and Golf Scramble, while serving on the AMDA and Holiday Parade

Cheryl Windisch was the 2023 I Love BG Award Recipient. She was recognized for commitment to bettering the community through her service on the boards for Prevent Blindness of Northwest Ohio, Bowling Green Parks, the Bowling Green Community Foundation, University Women Literature Group and Bowling Green Schools Foundation. As a former teacher, guidance counselor and supervisor of student teachers, she remains committed to bettering education in Bowling Green by writing letters to the editor and driving support for school levies.

Maria Simon was the 2022 Athena Award Recipient. She was recognized for actively supporting and mentoring women and children in many ways.

Mark Wasylyshyn was the 2022 Zeus Award Recipient. He was recognized for creating a culture of success for all of his deputies, inclusive of women in law enforcement, with constant training opportunities, leadership schools, connections in the community and the coordination of grants and community entities.

Lee Hakel was a 2022 Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award recipient. She was recognized for demonstrating an active leadership role for the betterment of the community through involvement with a variety of organizations. She immediately began to demonstrate her leadership, even while working full-time, when she first arrived in the Bowling Green community.

Dr Thomas Wojciechowski Sr was a 2022 Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award recipient. He was recognized for caring and supporting members of the community for over 50 years, and sharing his medical expertise with countless organizations over his career.

The Wood County District Public Library was the 2022 Outstanding Customer Service Award recipient. They were recognized for being a steadfast and constant source of support and kindness in an ever-shifting world.  While the many services and material they have to offer are in integral part of the community, an even greater strength is the quality of service the staff offers to the public and the creative, strategic things they implement to better serve the community.

Paul Thayer and the Thayer Family Dealerships was the 2022 I Love BG Award recipient. They were recognized for their tireless involvement in our community, and for making Bowling Green a positive place to live and to visit.  From creating small events for our community to enjoy, to hosting fundraisers to raise money for a variety of non -profit organizations, they are always thinking of others.

Beckett’s Burger Bar was the 2022 Small Business of the Year Award recipient. They were recognized for their care for customers, quality, service, and employees making them an outstanding business that in turns gives back to the community that supports them.