The Olivia Chamber of Commerce hosted our Annual Golf Tournament and Social! The Olivia Chamber of Commerce would like to give a big congratulations to our award winners this year! The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Corey and Traci Buchtel, Community Leadership Award-Sarah Maher and Business of the Year-Janke Water Service!
This year’s Lifetime Achievement award recognizes two individuals who both graduated from high school here. After leaving to work in the hospitality industry in other towns, they took advantage of an opportunity to return home and buy a restaurant in their hometown and raise their family here. After a fire took their restaurant, they bought the Sheep Shedde and rebuilt the restaurant modernizing it to make it a destination for area diners, banquets and special events. Many BOLD High School graduates list Max’s as a workplace growing up. Corey & Traci Buchtel have given back to their community helping many groups and organizations, donating gift certificates for hundreds of fund raisers, along with their time and many more things. Corey, or Bucky, has also coached many a local youth in baseball, you saw him as a part of the chain gang at BOLD football games. He helped in many other sports also. Traci served many years on the BOLD School Board and helped many organizations put events together. They made an investment in our community and devoted many hours not only to their business, but to community volunteerism. They were proud to be a part of “O”-Town. The 2024 Olivia Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Corey & Traci Buchtel.
Community Leadership is crucial to a community’s success. This year’s recipient of the Olivia Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership award is an Olivia High School graduate who returned to the Corn Capital to raise her family where she grew up. She follows in the footsteps of her father who was an idea man that brought many ideas to fruition. Boundless energy keeps her moving a mile a minute. She was key in starting the Hospital Foundation. Along with Page’s of Our Communities Foundation, putting together and delivering dozens of May Days Baskets each year, and heading up the Pickle Ball Court project. She is a main stay in making Renville County’s Walk In the Park happen each year. She is also involved in the Lions Club, her church, and has even taken that energy to numerous Super Bowls around the country as a volunteer. We could go on with all of the accomplishments Sara has had for our community. You might say she is a high yielding hybrid of the Corn Capital. The 2024 Olivia Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership Award goes to Sarah Maher.
For over 60 years the people of Renville County have been yelling “Hey Culligan Man” at a Jahnke Water Service. Started by Lyle….Perry and his brother, Jason, have continued the tradition of providing a great product with great service from Jahnke Water. Jahnke Water has also built years of trust into their business. It takes a lot of trust for a homeowner to just leave the door unlocked so Jahnke’s can come in and go downstairs to check, repair or replace a water softener or drinking water system. With the Jahnke Water team you can. I’m going to share a quick story with you here about their fabulous customer service. Recently….there was an older water softener that had a broken gear on the timer and Perry was called. Perry went and checked it out…..he could have just replaced the softener, but with his expertise and customer in mind, he instead found an old gear part at the shop and replaced the gear, saving the young family lot of money. That kind of service and caring creates customers for life. At many events you’ll find bottled water donated by the Jahnke’s. They’ve coached many a wrestler, helped organize pool leagues, volunteered in their church and are volunteer fireman. They are good community people who are born and raised in the Corn Capital. The 2024 Olivia Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year is Culligan-Jahnke Water Service.
