The Marion Chamber of Commerce will be celebrating its mission, members and community at its 103rd annual awards celebration on Friday, January 19, 2024, at The Pavilion in Marion. The program will feature presentations by the Chamber, elected officials, and 2023 award winners.

One of the awards that will be given during the event is the Citizen of the Year Award, which is given to an individual who has shown significant contribution to our community and who has excelled in a field outside of the Chamber.

Members of the Marion Chamber of Commerce were asked to submit nominations from October-November for the award. This year, the Chamber opened up the selection of the winner to its membership through voting that began in October and ended November 1.

The 2023 Citizen of the Year Award nominees are:

• Dale Fowler
• Nick Holdinghausen
• Jason Powell

Dale Fowler

Dale Fowler was born and raised on his family's farm in the small Southern Illinois town of Eldorado, Illinois. His family owned the Eldorado Locker Co., which Dale took ownership of from 1986 until 1990 when he sold it to begin working for then Secretary of State, Jim Edgar. He stayed on Mr. Edgar’s staff for several years before beginning his career with the Illinois Department of Corrections. He worked for IDOC until 2004 when he transferred to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice where he stayed until his retirement in 2012. If you know Dale at all, you know he never really retired. All that was just him getting warmed up.

He served on the Saline County Board from 2002 to 2006 and was the Mayor of Harrisburg from 2013 until he stepped down in 2016 after becoming the State Senator for the 59th district. As well as being the current Senator, he has also been working at Peoples National Bank since 2012 and is now the Assistant Vice President and Business Development Officer. 

He is a member of First Presbyterian Church of Harrisburg. He is married to his best friend Jill, and they have two adult children, Hannah and Ben. He is the former President of United Way of Southern Illinois, a Delta Leadership Network Alumni, a Toll Fellow, an Edgar Fellow, a BILLD Fellow, the Hunt Institute Chair, a CSG Chair and Poverty Elimination Commission Co-Chair. He is the founder of the Saline County CEO program and a current board member. He is a proud member of the Kiwanis and has been an Elks member for over 30 years. 

Dale is the founder of the Fowler Bonan Foundation, which is very dear to his heart. What started with a childhood memory of a brother and sister that didn't have the appropriate school clothing and his dream to someday help kids not be made fun of because of their clothing, has grown into this amazing charity he founded in 2002. Twenty-one years later, the Fowler Bonan Foundation’s mission continues to help children and families in need throughout Southern Illinois by supplying necessities. The Foundation currently works to provide services throughout 19 Southern Illinois counties. The Fowler Bonan Foundation aids the community in many ways including the Clothes for Kids program (which clothes over 600 children a year), Heaven’s Kitchen weekly hot meal (in 2022 over 14,000 free meals were served), Blessing Houses, Kicks for Kids & Together We “Can” soup distribution. This foundation continues to grow by leaps and bounds every year. He is a huge supporter of all area Chambers of Commerce. The Senator has either assisted or is currently assisting many Williamson County businesses with grant opportunities, funding, and marketing. Not to mention he raises thousands of dollars every year for various charities throughout Williamson County. For five years he has had a partnership with the area Chamber of Commerce to hold the Southern Illinois Made Expo to showcase everything that is made and manufactured in Southern Illinois.  Since its inception, the expo has raised over $250,000 for local veterans’ charities.

Senator Fowler has been a public servant for decades. He has dedicated a significant amount of his life to making Southern Illinois a better place. 

"To be nominated as Citizen of the Year in a county full of dedicated people who are passionate about their communities, is truly an honor. Williamson County has so much to offer. I am beyond blessed to serve its citizens."

Nick Holdinghausen

From tracking tornadoes on television for over a decade to now navigating the local economy, Nick Holdinghausen, or Nick Hausen as we know him from TV, has taken quite the unconventional path to Southern Illinois.

His journey to this region began in the spring of 2011, fresh out of the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Science. A two-hour distance from his hometown of Festus, Missouri, Nick embraced the opportunity to move to Southern Illinois with eagerness, despite being unfamiliar with the area.

Upon arrival, Holdinghausen was immediately drawn to the area's Midwestern charm and warm Southern hospitality. During the week, his career allowed him to explore the diverse communities of Southern Illinois, sharing the stories of people from Murphysboro to Shawneetown and Cairo to Mt. Vernon. On weekends, he pursued his lifelong passion for weather forecasting on television.

Throughout his tenure at WSIL, Holdinghausen was promoted from weekend meteorologist to weekday morning meteorologist, and later assumed the role of chief meteorologist in 2020 when his mentor, Jim Rasor, stepped away from television. The gravity of his responsibilities became immediately evident when a catastrophic EF-4 tornado wreaked havoc in Mayfield, Kentucky just a few months after becoming the chief meteorologist. Weather, relentless and unpredictable, demands vigilance at all hours, leading to countless overnights and weekends spent at the television station. In these moments, there's no room for hesitation, as programming is interrupted to deliver critical information, ensuring public safety and tranquility during severe weather events.

Holdinghausen cherishes his time at WSIL, as it profoundly impacted his life. He crossed paths with Hilary, an ambitious young reporter at the station, who would become the love of his life. Today, they are proud parents of two beautiful daughters, Harper, aged 7, and Halle, aged 3, and feel blessed to be raising a family in Marion.

In August of this year, Nick made a significant career pivot when an opportunity arose at Southern Illinois Now. SI Now is a dynamic economic development initiative focused on advancing the region as a great place to live, work, and do business in a 17-county area within Southern Illinois. Holdinghausen's experience on television provided him with a unique perspective and deep understanding of the region's communities, people, and assets, making him a perfect fit as the Coordinator of Regional Development and Marketing at SI Now. Nick remains steadfast in his commitment to spotlight Southern Illinois in a positive way by continuously sharing the stories of the region he and his family proudly call home.

As a television meteorologist, my primary responsibility was to keep the public safe and well-informed about weather conditions. It was a role I took very seriously, and it was a privilege to serve as a trusted source of information during critical times. However, what made this job truly special was the opportunity it provided to connect with people from all over Southern Illinois. 

"The relationships and connections formed along the way have enriched my life in ways I could never have anticipated. Marion, the economic hub of the entire region, stands as a beacon of leadership and inspiration. This city is filled with dedicated, compassionate, and hard-working individuals and to be recognized as a leader in this remarkable community is an absolute honor. I consider myself blessed to be nominated and my family and I are truly grateful to call Marion our home. "

Jason Powell

Jason Powell, is a 41-year-old Marion, Illinois resident who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. Jason is the CEO of Bainbridge Enterprises LLC, a consulting firm. He is also the Business Development and Property Manager for Heartland Realty & Rentals. In addition, Mr. Powell is co-owner of Southern Illinois Rejuvenation Center, a new medical spa in the area. In the past, he worked for Peabody Energy as a coal miner, where a terrible coal mining accident ended his career of 8 years.

Jason, is a member of many organizations that allow him to be involved in community projects as well as contribute to various philanthropic endeavors. In addition to being a member of Cornerstone Church, he has made several mission trips to Haiti with the organization, Farming God’s Way. They provided clean water access to Haitian villages.

Jason served as Assistant Governor for Rotary District 6510 and former President of Williamson County Heartland Rotary. He assists this group with fundraising to purchase iPads for autistic students annually among other projects that support our youth and community as a whole. He serves on the Board of Directors for Caritas Family Solutions, one of Illinois’ largest foster care providers. Jason coordinates a coat drive to help Caritas Family Solutions supply coats to foster children and lower income families. They have provided over 2000 coats throughout 50 counties.

 Jason is a member of Ready Nation, a group of business executives focused on building a skilled workforce by promoting solutions that prepare youth to succeed in education, work, and life. They were able to secure millions of dollars in funding for downstate early childhood education. He also served as Chairman for the Egyptian District – Greater St. Louis Area Boy Scouts of America.

Mr. Powell is a member of the Marion Chamber of Commerce and was nominated as one of their top Young Leaders under 40. Jason is a representative of the Illinois branch for the Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). As representative, he received the Seven Seals Award for his volunteer and community development efforts.

Jason has been recognized with other awards including the 2020 Good Neighbor Award presented by WSIU of Carbondale, The Southern Illinoisian 2018 “Leaders Among Us”, and the 2019 Franklin County Alumni of the Year.

Jason truly enjoys serving the community. He spends time with displaced veterans at Haven House on Thursdays when he delivers their dinner provided by Heaven’s kitchen. He stays very active in his niece’s and nephew’s lives and enjoys coaching their little league teams.

Jason is diligently working on something close to his heart. His nephew was diagnosed at age 9 with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. DIPG is a rare, inoperable brain tumor. With only four percent of cancer funding going to childhood cancer, Jason vowed to bring awareness to the need for funding for DIPG and other childhood cancers. Mr. Powell is championing numerous fundraisers to help bring awareness to his nephew’s battle. 

"Being nominated for citizen of the year for a great community such as Marion is a tremendous honor. Even more of an honor to share the nomination with the other nominees who also make an impact in our community daily. Although I feel others deserve this award more than me, I am passionate about helping businesses grow and helping those in need and make a difference when I can. If anything is taken from my nomination, it is that I hope people see that anyone can make a difference in the lives of others no matter who they are or where they came from." #BeTheDifference