The Marion Chamber of Commerce presented two new awards, and announced two new Uptown Marion events, at its 88th annual meeting Wednesday, Oct. 22.
About 275 Chamber members and supporters attended the event at the Epic Event Center in Marion.
Under the theme “Growing Exponentially,” the meeting highlighted the community’s growth and achievements, including Chamber milestones, during the last fiscal year. Among them:
- The Chamber’s Welcome Center was redesigned in the past year by students from the Venture Academics marketing program at Linn-Mar High School, and saw a 75% increase in sales of Marion- and Iowa-themed products and merchandise.
- The Chamber welcomed 87 new members in the past year, hosted 57 events, and celebrated 37 ribbon cuttings.
- The Chamber launched a partnership with the Kirkwood Corporate Training Center for the Marion Business Academy.
- A total of eight new businesses joined the Chamber in the past year.
- Uptown Marion received a benchmark award from Main Street Iowa for reaching $50 million in private investment.
Marion Chamber president Jill Ackerman also showed a video highlighting the capabilities of the newly-purchased “Celebration Screen,” a 10-foot by 17-foot LED screen trailer that may debut at the new Central Plaza this winter. The screen could be used for movie viewings, concerts, live performances and tailgate parties. Sponsorship opportunities are available, Ms. Ackerman said.
Ms. Ackerman also announced two new events for the Marion Chamber in 2026 – a Marion Business Expo, set for Feb. 20-21 at Vernon Middle School, and an “Ag Impact” field to fork event set for June 18. Details and sponsorship opportunities for both events will be forthcoming, Ms. Ackerman said.
Gallery
The winners of two new awards were announced during the meeting – the Emerging Leader award, presented to Dr. Brenton Hicks of Revive Family Chiropractic, and the Business Excellence Award, presented to Farmers State Bank.
Other speakers gave presentations during the event, including 2026 Marion Chamber board president Jared Kast, 2025 board chair Cassandra Kotek and Uptown Marion program manager Lacey Schroeder.
And a panel of local business leaders addressed a variety of concerns and opportunities. Panelists included Ray Brown of ESCO Group, Cassie Caldwell of Kepros Physical Therapy & Performance, Cherie Edilson of Member Marketplace, Randy Walter of Timberline Manufacturing and Justin Zehr of the Fun Not Fancy Restaurant Group.
“This year has been one of exponential growth, innovation, and connection,” said Ms. Ackerman, who has served as Chamber president since 2007. “From the grand opening of the Central Plaza, to the success of our Welcome Center, to the expansion of our membership base, we’ve built something truly special together.”
