Retiring Chamber Director Oliver Conover sits in a white rocking chair that he was given during the Chamber's annual banquet on Jan. 24 to mark his retirement.

The Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce held its 17th annual awards and installation gala at Pelican Preserve before an audience of almost 150 members and quests on Saturday evening.

A round robin of speakers roasted Oliver “Ollie” Conover who retired as executive director. He was celebrated for his colorful use of language and seven years of service to the Chamber. During his tenure he expanded the Chamber to more than 400 members and enhanced a wide range of services including Leadership Lehigh training.

Special gifts included a bottle of his favorite libation, a white rocking chair, and a gold watch. As a new slim 77-year-old he has prepared himself for new challenges.

It was announced that Congressman Connie Mack made a special tribute to Conover on the House floor on January 14 noting his many years as a fundraiser for educational and cultural non-profit organizations, and national service in the Ordinance Corps, U.S. Army.

Not to be forgotten was the roasting of the presenters led by former President Bo Turberville.

Lehigh Acres accountant Nate Stout was given the Member of the Year Award for his contributions to the Chamber. He is the Chamber's accountant.

A special service award was given to Fred Elliott of Coldwell Banker for his tireless efforts on Chamber programs. Nate Stout, CPA, and Mel Toadvine, editor of The Lehigh Acres Citizen were honored as member and employee of the year. Special thanks were given to Lynn Beck for more than 20 years of volunteer service to the administrative office of the Chamber.

On February 12, 2008 Lee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chester Hinton responded to a call concerning gunfire in the area of 3401 19 Street SW in Lehigh. He was able to detain a suspect running from the house. With quick interrogation he determined the suspect was engaged in robbing a marijuana grow house.

The suspect was found in possession of a Glock .40 caliber hand gun and wearing body armor. He placed his own body over the subject and protected him from further gunfire until assistance arrived. Due to the officer’s rapid broadcast, a fleeing vehicle was stopped by other deputies. Two dead males were found. For his exemplary performance he was awarded the Chamber of Commerce Deputy of the Year Award. He was nominated by Capt. Ed Tamayo, the Brava commander at the Lehigh substation who also presented the award.

New officers were also installed. Richard Thompson, RHT Engineering, is the new chairman of the Board. Karen Makowski, Panther Community Bank and Jose Morillo, Lehigh Regional Medical Center, are the new first and second vice chairs. They were unable to attend the banquet. The treasurer is Elsie Jordan of Lehigh Cleaners. Along with Joe Whalen, the new Chamber CEO, they will lead the organization for the next 12 months.

New directors who were also sworn in included Celeste Buhl, Julie Camp, Cindy Dodd, Fred Elliott, Kelly Roesch, Thomas Richard, Capt. Ed Tamayo and Edd Weiner.

Lehigh Acres Citizen Editor Mel Toadvine was given an award as Employee of the Year. He was thanked for his service to the Chamber. Shown with him at right is Joe Whalen, the new president of the Chamber.

State Sen. Dave Aronberg gave the keynote address. He said the state faces a $4 billion to $5 billion shortfall in the state budget to be adopted in the March session of the Legislature.

To meet the current budget deficit of $2.8 billion, the Legislature went into special session in January but was limited to spending cuts only.

“It was an ugly session,” Aronberg told the group. Having received his primary education in South Florida he was opposed to the cuts in educational funding of $466.4 million in K-12 and $184.3 in higher education. Some $1.2 billion was borrowed from trust funds, including $700 million from the Childs tobacco settlement fund, he said.

Aronberg advocated raising tobacco taxes. Currently Florida is third or fourth lowest in the nation. Raising taxes will decrease consumption requiring a decrease in revenue projections. He also expressed his support for Internet sale or user taxes to balance the difference between local merchants and out of state sales as few file and pay these taxes.

Lee County Commissioners Frank Mann and Brian Bigelow also attended to wish Ollie Conover well in his retirement.

Capt. Ed. Tamayo, left, presents the Deputy of the Year Award to Sgt. Chester Hinton for outstanding police work in 2008.

Usually the Chamber ends its banquets with entertainment and this year was no exception.

Instead of a magic show like last year, the Chamber pulled a surprise on Conover with a “roast” that brought everyone in the room to laughter. Several members of the board and former board members went to the podium and make jokes about Conover who sat in his new white rocking chair.

“That’s not true,” he shouted from time to time. But when the speakers were through, each applauded Conover for his outstanding work as Chamber director over the past seven years.

This year’s attendance was down about a hundred from last year, mainly due to an ailing economy.