Salina Area Chamber of Commerce
SALINA, Kan. — The Salina Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame is celebrating the twenty-first year and excited to announce the businesspersons scheduled to be inducted into the 2026 class. They are:
Historic Category (1946-1999) – Nathan Butcher
Contemporary Category (2000-present) – Rob Exline; Hemmer Siblings (Katie Platten, Tom Hemmer, Joe Hemmer, Matt Hemmer, and Phil Hemmer)
In addition to the Business Hall of Fame Inductees, the Business Hall of Fame Task Force will announce the Spirit of Salina Award recipient. This award, established in 2022, was developed to recognize an emerging entrepreneur in Saline County. The entrepreneur selected will represent the “best of the best” in terms of overcoming obstacles, believing in their drams, taking risks, and persisting as a small business owner. They embody a spirit- the entrepreneurial spirit of Salina- and those that have come before.
This awardee will be named during the induction ceremony.
The induction ceremony will be held November 10 from 12 PM to 2 PM, at the Salina Country Club. This year’s speaker for the event will be announced soon.
The Salina Business Hall of Fame was established by the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce in 2005. Its purpose is to recognize and honor Salina business leaders, both past and present, who have made extraordinary contributions to Salina, earned the respect of the local community and called attention to the Free Enterprise system and its value to our country and citizens in shaping Salina’s way of life
Each inductee will be recognized with a commemorative plaque which will be displayed at the Chamber office, 120 W. Ash. A biography of each inductee will be distributed at the luncheon. “The caliber of those that get inducted into the Business
Hall of Fame is so high because these are not just people who have achieved success in business, but also who have made integral contributions to the success of the entire community.” Renee Duxler, outgoing president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber said.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are $35 per person and can be purchased by registering online on the Chamber’s website at www.salinakansas.org, or by calling the Chamber office at 785-827-9310 ext. 124 or by emailing Hayley Rhodes at hrhodes@salinakansas.org.
Past inductees include: (Pioneer) H.D. Lee, Alexander Campbell, Oscar Seitz, Winfield W. Watson, Benjamin A. Litowich, William R. Geis, William A. Phillips, Charles R. Underwood, Frank Hageman, Henry H. Sudendorf, Arthur M. Claflin, August (AJ) Holmquist, Moses Stiefel, and Dr. William Eugene Mowery (Historic) William Graves, Sr., M.J. Kennedy, William Exline, S. Dean Evans, Whitley Austin, Ben Sellers, George L. Frisbie, Ward Marshall, Baalis Kyger Smoot, Robert J. Laubengayer, Dan Bolen, Milton Steifel, Earl Bane, Frank Norton, Mabel Shelton, Quintin Applequist, Paul Mai, and Richard "Dick" Renfro (Contemporary) Al Schwan, Roy Applequist, Lee Young, Paul Junk, Jack Vanier, Mike Berkley, Jim Allen, Dick Brown, Karl Stutterheim, Charles E. Stevens, Jr., Thomas R. Pestinger, Sidney Reitz, Tim Rogers, Mel and Marge Bergkamp, Marshall Stanton, Steve Ryan, Larry Triplett, Mike Beatty, Frieda Mai Weis and Larry Britegam.
Past Spirit of Salina inductees include: Tyler Gallagher, Gus Applequist, Kelly Webb, and Alex Disberger.
Note: There is no recipient of the Pioneer Category (1858-1945) this year