Flowers, Lindberg given Abes

By Editor | January 30, 2013 |

A Vandalia man who has been the driving force behind his family’s launch of a half-dozen businesses in the downtown area and the longtime executive director of a sheltered workshop for the developmentally disabled were honored by the Vandalia Chamber of Commerce with Abe Awards last Thursday.

Tony Flowers, whose Liberty shops have filled several vacant storefronts along Gallatin Street in the past couple of years, was given the award for non-Chamber-members.
He and members of his family have opened a series of stores – a coin and gun shop, a cheese and sandwich shop, a coffee shop, a fabric shop and a woodworking shop.
“It’s all about family,” he told the audience after receiving the award. “I didn’t (start the businesses) for me; I did it for my family, and for the people of Vandalia.”
He and his wife, Teresa, have been married for 35 years. They have five children (Tony Jr., Kip, Kim, Sam and Hannah) and 16 grandchildren.
A former Army captain, Flowers flew helicopters during two tours of duty in Vietnam. He’s also been involved in several aspects of the Vandalia community: his church (Bethel Baptist), the Vandalia Lions Club and the Downtown Merchants Co-op.
After the banquet, Flowers praised other merchants in the downtown area for their part in the revival there.
“When we opened the shops, I hoped that others would follow along, and they have,” he said. “We just need to continue to do things to get people downtown and into the stores.”
Despite his bold moves in the business world, Flowers shuns the spotlight. “I like working behind the scenes,” he said. “I really don’t want the recognition. I just want to be here to help people.”
Receiving the chamber member Abe Award at Thursday’s banquet was Bob Lindberg, who has led FAYCO Enterprises for the past 25 years.
During that time, the organization has launched seven homes in three counties for developmentally disabled persons; obtained contracts to manufacture pens, uniforms and other items for area businesses; and, in recent years, began a recycling operation that serves Vandalia, as well as several other communities in Fayette County.
Lindberg and his wife, Colleen, have two children, Sara and Keith.
“You don’t do something like this alone,” he said after Thursday’s program. “It was everybody in the community; little by little, they helped us take the next step.”
He credits one of FAYCO’s clients for transforming his approach to managing the operation.
“Getting to know him changed my approach from just operating the business by the textbook to running a program that really focuses on the needs of these people – teaching skills, developing jobs and providing residential settings.”
Also at the banquet, the 2012 president, Ben Timmermann, passed the gavel to the 2013 president, Greg Starnes.
Timmerman, a local CPA, cited several accomplishments during his term in office. Among those were:
• Hiring an executive director to oversee the organization’s activities (such as holding 50-50 drawings at meetings, creating a monthly newsletter, updating the chamber’s website regularly and generally doing the day-to-day work of the chamber).
• Beginning the process to update the chamber’s electronic sign to a more energy-efficient style and one that allows more graphics. Ads will be sold on the sign to help defray some of the costs of the upgrade.
• Changing the dues structure. Instead of paying dues for individual representatives, member businesses will pay a sliding fee for a business membership, with the fee being determined by the number of employees in the business.
Incoming president Starnes first emphasized his small-town roots, having grown up in Waynetown, Ind. That background, he said, has made him very comfortable in a town the size of Vandalia.
He has been the administrator of Fayette County Hospital since 2006.
He has three major goals for 2013:
• To grow the chamber membership by 25 percent (from last year’s total of 140 to 175).
• To maintain financial viability of the chamber. To do that, he plans to continue to hold fundraising activities, sell advertising on the new sign, apply for grants and control expenses.
• To improve and increase member benefits by improving communication with members, re-starting the Chamber Bucks program, increasing the number of businesses offering member-to-member discounts, hosting at least one significant educational program and showcasing chamber members.
Closing out the banquet was a program by Mister Tim, an entertainer from Longmont, Colo.
A trained singer and director, he uses electronic looping techniques to record his voice to create overlapping tracks of songs. When he’s not on the road doing Mister Tim programs, he directs singing groups in the Denver area.