The Marion Chamber of Commerce will be celebrating milestones and our business community at its 101st annual awards celebration on June 24th, 2022 at the Pavilion in Marion (rescheduled from January 14).  The program will feature presentations by the Chamber, elected officials, and our 2021 award winners.

Members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce were asked to submit nominations in October for the Citizen of the Year. The Citizen of the Year Award goes to an individual who has shown significant contribution to our community and who has excelled in a field outside of the Chamber. This year’s award is sponsored by Legence Bank.

We are excited to announce the 2021 Citizen of the Year Award finalists are:

• Jeff Mayer
• Jeremy Pinkston
• Russell Williams

Jeff Mayer

Growing up in Marion, Jeff Mayer has cherished growing up in Marion. He obtained a Bachelors in Business Management at Southern Illinois University in 1991 and after graduation began to play an active role in the recent automotive growth and brand expansion in our area. Beginning in early 90s at Marion Toyota, he started in sales and worked through upper management to become President and Owner in 2011. Jeff has been part of the Toyota Dealer Council in 2011 to 2015 and returned to the Council in 2021. He has also taken part for 8 years on the Toyota Dealer Advertising Board of Directors. While developing Toyota’s brand in Marion, he also became President and Owner of Marion Subaru in 2005 and took on Marion Collision Center in 2011. 

In recent years, Jeff founded JM Vision Real Estate Development in 2019 and is honored to be part of the redevelopment of the Marion downtown. This includes the restoration and renovation of the Goodall building, originally constructed in 1900, with plans for over 15,000 square feet of residential and retail space.  He is excited to bring this Marion downtown fixture back to its former glory and has additional plans for adjacent properties in the downtown area.

Mayer’s volunteer and charitable efforts are driven by causes that he feels he can make an impact. Recent activities include, Project CAR, Hospice of Southern Illinois, The Women's Center Southern Illinois, AdoptaClassroom.org, Southern Illinois University Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois, Gumdrops of Carterville, Southern Illinois Athletics, and Athletic Departments serving the youth of Marion, Herrin, and Carterville.

“Being nominated for citizen of the year is a great honor, but also something that I never expected. We have so many great citizens that this could have easily been so many other people nominated in my place. My wife, Tabatha, and I are lifelong residents of Marion and were fortunate enough to have raised our three daughters in a small town. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this community and am very excited about what is going on with the revitalization of the original part of the city. Growing up on South Market Street, as a child, I feel this part of town, can once again, be the fabric of our community. We have a lot of work still left to do, but in the end, it will be something that generations to come will enjoy. To me, that should be our focus. Paying it forward with something the future can cherish.”

Jeremy Pinkston

Jeremy Pinkston is originally from Harrisburg but has called Marion home for nearly 30 years. He attended Southeastern Illinois College and then SIU where his education led to focus on Economics and Finance. Jeremy resides in the historic district of South Market, “on the brick”, in Marion with his wife of 17 years Randi, and their two children Carly and Jed. In early 2008 joined a new business in Marion (opened 4 months prior) as Marketing Director. The rest is history, as they say…

Jeremy has been the lead behind the marketing, community, and charitable endeavors of a company called Black Diamond Harley-Davidson. Whether it be the 1000’s of fundraisers or the multitude of events that have been implemented over 15 years at Black Diamond Jeremy has been the force behind it all.

He is a member if the Southern Illinois Workforce Development Board and on committees for the SI Now initiative as well as several other local community programs.

“I accepted this nomination with trepidation as I feel undeserving of such an award. I am passionate about southern Illinois and city of Marion as this is my home and I want it to be the greatest place to live, work, and play in our region. My contributions to our community have only just begun.”

Russell Williams

Russell Williams helps people learn, grow, and become better leaders through his teaching, coaching, and mentoring. He's a coach, trainer, and speaker on leadership and professional development. Russ is the founding director of EThOs Marion, an emerging project supported by the Watermark Auto Group Foundation and designed to strengthen a budding entrepreneurial ecosystem in Marion. At the heart of this concept is the establishment of a business incubator and coworking spaces for entrepreneurs. EThOs provides start-ups access to business advisors, training, technical assistance, and coaches, among other services.
 
Russ has worked in youth development, fund development, and leadership development for the last 30 years. He serves as a leadership and personal growth coach, trainer, and facilitator for businesses, churches, nonprofit organizations, and their leaders.  Russ’ partnership with the Marion Chamber of Commerce has produced the Leadership Marion professional development program and the Live2Lead conference in Southern Illinois for the past four years. Russ is Vice-President of the Board of Directors of The Boys & Girls Club of Southern Illinois and a co-founder of Churros & Chocolate Among Friends, a multicultural and bilingual faith community. He is also the co-host of Small Town Big Business, a podcast about entrepreneurship and opportunity in small-town middle America.
 
Russ graduated from McKendree College and Emory University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He has certifications and coursework in Fundraising Management and Executive Leadership from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and is a certified member of the John Maxwell Team of speakers, trainers, and coaches. Russ lives in Marion with his spouse Rocio Reyes Williams and two boys David and Joshua. 

Award Sponsor

The Citizen of the Year Award finalists and winner are selected by the members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Awards Committee.

The first Citizen of the Year Award was given in 1970 to Clara Boatright. Last year’s winner was Amanda Throgmorton.