Woman of the Year, Deb Bishop, and Man of the Year, Bill Warren (both seated) are pictured with David Slone of the Times-Union and Doug Hanes, of 1st Source Bank. Photo provided.

WINONA LAKE – Deb Bishop and Bill Warren were honored Thursday, Jan. 30, with the top awards at the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce annual dinner at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

Bishop was named Woman of the Year and Warren was named Man of the Year.

Warren and his wife, Molly, are credited with launching Cardinal Services 56 years ago.

As presenter Doug Hanes, of 1st Source Bank, explained, the Warren’s second child was born with brain damage and there were no local schools prepared to provide services.

“He was determined to do everything he could for his son and to give him every opportunity for schooling. Therefore, in 1963, he and his wife rented a home along with five other families and hired a teacher. The school grew quickly and evolved into what is now known as Cardinal Services. Cardinal Services now serves over 4,100 clients annually,” Hanes said.

Hanes added, “Our Man of the Year still remains an active and vibrant part of Cardinal Services. He was the auctioneer for their first charity fundraiser, he served on their 60th Anniversary Committee and he organizes trips to the Shrine Circus for Cardinal clients every January.”

Andrew Berlin, the owner of the South Bend Cubs, was the main speaker. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.

Presenter David Slone, of the Times-Union, described Bishop’s contributions to the community through her involvement in theater and music.

“As the chair of the board for Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, she has done a tremendous job of re-orienting the organization from a privately-owned enterprise to a non-profit community entity,” Slone said.

“She has championed additional programming for children, including acting and dance classes. She is forward-thinking, is a successful fundraiser and communicates well with all levels of leadership in the community.”

Bishop also shared music director responsibilities at First United Methodist Church in Warsaw for a number of years, is the piano accompanist for the church choir and helps organize contemporary praise band for the church.

She helped organize and frequently works at the community closet at First United Methodist Church, making household goods, personal care products and other essentials available to the less-fortunate in the community, Slone said.

Both recipients were caught off guard by the attention.

Bishop thanked the chamber for the award and made a point to thank everyone for supporting Wagon Wheel

Warren had fun with the moment when he talked to the crowd and thanked them.

“I had no idea,” he said. “I almost wore a sweater.”

The keynote was Andrew Berlin, the owner of the South Bend Cubs and part-owner of the Chicago Cubs. 

Berlin, who recently stepped down as the CEO of Berlin Packaging – which had sales exceeding $1 billion –  acquired the South Bend Silver Hawks in 2011 and then lined up a deal with the Chicago Cubs to serve as a minor league affiliate.

Berlin has worked to transform the fan experience at Four Winds Field.

He said they began focusing on 36 points of contact fans have, from the way they are greeted at the gate to the condition of the restrooms.

“It’s about details,” Berlin said. “We’ve built a business paying attention to the little tiny details that people are going to experience at our ballpark in every moment from start to finish.”

“Only 15 percent of fans remember the score when they leave the ballpark,” Berlin said, referencing a study.

“They’re not coming for the score of the game, they’re coming for the experience.”

A view of the crowd at the annual chamber dinner at Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in Winona Lake. InkFreeNews photo by Dan Spalding.