Plymouth Chamber of Commerce presents annual community awards
outstanding companies for their contributions to the Plymouth
Community.
The chamber honored several local businesses and presented a
special recognition award to the Rotary Club of Plymouth along with a special community contribution award to the Plymouth Community Arts Council (PCAC).
Large Business of the Year awards were presented to Shaw
Construction and Plymouth Physical Therapy Specialists while
Ironwood Grill was named as the mid-size Business of the Year winner. Engraving Connection, Sun and Snow and the Makeup Loft were named as winners of the Small Business of the Year awards.
The Legacy Awards for 2024 were awarded to Kate Rosevear of Travel Leaders in Plymouth and Beth Stewart, director of the
Michigan Philharmonic.
Rosevear has been part of the Plymouth community since
starting a residential Real Estate career in 1969. She has started
several businesses during her career. Following her marriage to
Harlan Rosevear in 1978, she opened Suncoast Investment Properties, and immediately joined the Plymouth Community Chamber of
Commerce. During her membership, she served on various chamber committees: membership, auction, and ambassadors. At her
suggestion, the chamber instituted the Plymouth gift certificate
program to help recruit small businesses. Chamber officials noted that the program remains the motivation for many small businesses to join the group.
Rosevear’s Travel Leaders which opened in 1985 is the longest-standing woman-owned business in Plymouth. Rosevear has served on various committees/organizations, including the Plymouth Ice Festival Board, Rotary Club of Plymouth AM, established a scholarship in honor of her mother, and many others.
Stewart and her husband, John, were diverted into Plymouth via a car accident on I-275 and decided to stay in the community. The couple raised their family and while John opened his law practice, Stewart became a foremost community leader for the arts and culture, preserving history in Plymouth.
Stewart has been involved in various organizations: a member of the Rotary Club of Plymouth AM where she twice served as president. She has been engaged in the Plymouth Community Chamber of Commerce, served on the Wayne County Arts Council Board, worked for the Plymouth Historical Museum, and in 2008 she became the Executive Director for the Michigan Philharmonic. Since her arrival, the orchestra has expanded from the local Plymouth Symphony to the prestigious regional Michigan Philharmonic. And has expanded children’s programs, and the Youth Orchestra; providing music education programs in local school districts.
Stewart was inducted into the Plymouth Hall of Fame in 2002 and last year named as the Spirit of Detroit Award winner and was the presented with the Ruth Houston Whipple Award.
The Special Recognition Award was awarded to the Rotary Club of Plymouth.
Founded in 1924, the Rotary Club of Plymouth is the oldest largest service organization in Plymouth and will celebrate a century of service this year. Members are business and community leaders who work together to support community programs by providing student scholarships, park beautification, and provide financial support to multiple civic groups and services. Many of their contributions are funded by the annual Rotary Chicken Barbeque which began in 1955 and now sells nearly 10,000 dinners annually.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary, the club is donating funds to WSDP 88.1 the PARC, Rotary Park, and Miracle League
