(left to right) Chamber President Nikki Garrett, Gary and Zack Schaefer
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 - BHC Insurance was named the Chamber Member of the Month for March on Wednesday at the Sallisaw Chamber membership meeting, which was held at the People Inc. Conference Center.
"In 1979, BHC Insurance acquired the Johnson Agency in Sallisaw and later merged with the Schaefer Agency in 1985. Sallisaw became the second location, with the main office being located in Ft. Smith. BHC has been in business in the River Valley for 108 years and has grown to 72 full-time employees and 4 locations," Chamber President Nikki Garrett said. "BHC is a family business owned and operated by second generation agents, with the recent addition of three third generation agents who are committed to providing expertise and quality service for many years to come."
The Sallisaw office is run by Gary and Zack Schaefer, who have over 50 years of combined commercial and personal insurance experience.
Lieutenant Colonel Casey R. Eubanks
This month's keynote speaker was Lieutenant Colonel Casey R. Eubanks, a 1994 graduate of Stilwell High School. After graduation, Eubanks attended Phillips University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematics and computer applications. Eubanks enlisted in the United States Air Force with the Arkansas National Guard in July 1999 and graduated from Air Force Basic Training in June 2020.
Eubanks is now the Commander of the 123rd Intelligence Squadron at the Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Ft. Smith, AR. During the meeting, Eubanks explained to chamber members the process of how the 123rd Intelligence Squadron works in conducting near real-time exploitation of imagery intelligence data.
The announcement portion of this month's agenda included several items.
"We had another record-breaking year with the Sequoyah County Junior Livestock Sale, with proceeds totaling $129,000," said Sallisaw Chamber Director Marty Green. The chamber still needs to collect about $8,000, but they hope to be able to write checks to students by April 1.
Treye Girdner provided an update on Diamond Daze, which is set for May 5 and 6 in downtown Sallisaw. Girdner said, "Applications for vendors are now being accepted at the chamber office. There will be no charge for non-profits or arts and crafts vendors, but food trailers will be charged $50."
Sallisaw Main Street will once again be sponsoring the annual BBQ cook-off and is currently looking for teams. Entry forms for the BBQ cook-off are now available at the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce.
The last announcement was in regards to the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Response Team has a number of events scheduled for the month and will provide additional information soon.
Lindsie Dyer, Staff Writer
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