Last night the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas had their annual dinner and awards ceremony where Confer Plastics was recognized as the business of the year. It's a great honor, one that we really appreciate and it's a testament to the people we work for and work with.
The Tonawanda News was in attendance and reported on the night's festivities:
High Honors at Chamber dinnerThe Tonawanda News 
Bob Confer and John White were the toast of the Twin Cities Wednesday night.
The two men were honored as part of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas’ 72nd annual meeting and installation of officers. The event was hosted at Richard’s on Main.
White was honored as the organization’s 2010 Citizen of the Year for his work with numerous youth organizations, while North Tonawanda’s Confer Plastics was recognized as 2010 Business of the Year.
Both men were quite humbled to receive the recognition. “You and I are the two wealthiest men in this room,” White said of he and Confer.
The Chamber’s annual dinner awards a Citizen of the Year and Business of the Year. The citizen award dates back to 1956, while the business award began in 1985. Each year, the Chamber solicits nominations for both categories. “We’re very proud of both of our honorees this year,” Executive Director Joyce Santiago said. “They’re very deserving.”
White was chosen for his selfless work to offer Twin Cities kids recreational outlets. He organizes a free kids fishing derby each year, an event that has drawn as many as 800 area kids. In addition to founding Y Not and Rockin’ With Santa, White has also been involved with a number of service organizations, and has coached in the community. “Someone on our board said forget Citizen of the Year, where’s sainthood,” Santiago said.
White said the honor was “very, very humbling.” He added, “This room is full of caregivers. To receive this award from the best caregivers in the Twin Cities is quite an honor.”
He thanked his wife Kate for her encouragement and help. “There’s an old saying, ‘behind every man is a good woman.’ I disagree,” White said. “My wife walks right beside me every day.”
Exchange Club member Rob Albert presented White with the Citizen of the Year award. “His mindset doesn’t even allow him to think of himself first,” Albert said. “The kids are always first in his life.”
Confer Plastics was recognized for emerging as a strengthened company in the face of a harsh economic climate. “The fact that they continue to find ways to grow in this economy is awesome,” Santiago said.
Two years ago when the recession began, the company was floundering, Confer Plastics Vice President Bob Confer, the grandson of founder Ray Confer, said in accepting the award. The company saw a 30 percent decline in production and was forced to reduce its schedule to a three- or four-day work week. “It was a little scary,” Confer said, adding that he spent plenty of time trying to rip his hair out figuring out how to steer the company through such difficult times.
“Fast forward to today,” he said, “I’m trying to rip my hair out because we’re at the other end of the spectrum. We’re as busy as could be. We went from one end of the spectrum to another over a two-year period.”
Confer said the company never would have succeeded were it not for the people who work for it. “We got hungry, we got aggressive,” he said. “We’re here today because of the people, and it’s been that way since Day One.”
Now, Confer Plastics has expanded to a year-round business that operates on a six-day schedule 24 hours a day.
“It’s a cool honor to have, and we’re always going to cherish it,” Confer said. In closing his remarks, he thanked his father Doug, who still works for the company, for being a good father and boss.
In addition to the awards, the Chamber’s dinner also included the installation of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors. Officers for the next year include: David Burgio, president; Nancy Schmidt, first vice president; Carl Hoover, second vice president; William Reece, treasurer; Joyce Santiago, secretary; and Rhonda Ried, immediate past president.
Former Tonawanda Mayor Alice Roth was honored for her quarter-century of service to the Chamber of Commerce.
The evening concluded with a recognition of the Tonawanda News. Santiago presented Publisher Peter Mio with a plaque for the newspaper’s help in getting the organization’s message out to the public by designing and printing the Chamber’s monthly newsletter and inserting it into the News.
