ELMHURST CHAMBER NAMES PECHANIO
AS AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR
ELMHURST, Ill., January 17, 2012 – Long-time Chamber volunteer and Elmhurst resident Ralph Pechanio receive the 2011 Chairman’s Award at the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 93rd Annual Awards Gala at the Diplomat West Banquet Halls on Wednesday, January 25, from 6 to 9 p.m.
The award is presented annually to a member of the green-coated Chamber Ambassadors for his/her outstanding service.
Pechanio, who named Ambassador of the Year in 1993, becomes only the fourth green coat in history to win the award twice. Preceding him were now-retired businesswoman Betsy Hanisch (1991 and 1998), John Zawaski (1996 and 2000) of Dependable Business Forms and Tom Myers Jr. (1995 and 2001) of Myers Real Estate.
A retired banker with Elmhurst Federal Savings & Loan, Pechanio has maintained an active role with the Chamber as an Ambassador of good will for some 20 years.
Pechanio has served the Elmhurst community since his career at Elmhurst Federal began in 1970. Active in the Chamber for 40 years, he served various terms as a member of its Board of Directors, including President (now Chairman) in 1992 and Treasurer.
During his Presidency, Pechanio, with support from the Chamber, accepted the challenge to act as the Fundraising Chairman for the Elmhurst Veterans Memorial campaign. The Memorial in Wilder Park was dedicated on Memorial Day 1993 and Pechanio has chaired the Elmhurst Veteran Memorial Commission since its inception.
Pechanio has also served the Elmhurst business community as an initial member and Director of the former Elmhurst Economic Development Corporation, and he served on the now sunset Elmhurst Central Business District (CBD) Commission for five years.
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Along with current Chamber President and CEO John Quigley (since 2000) and his late predecessor A.J. “Toche” Terrones, Pechanio has co-chaired Elmhurst’s Memorial Day Parade Committee since 1992.
In 2001, the Elmhurst Jaycees honored Pechanio with their Distinguished Service Award.
An active member of the Kiwanis Club of Elmhurst, Pechanio organizes his fellow Kiwanians in carrying the giant American flag in Elmhurst’s annual Memorial Day and St. Patrick’s Day parades.
For the last 12 golf seasons, Pechanio has worked as a starter at the Oak Brook Hills Marriott’s Willow Crest Golf Club, former site of the Chamber’s Golf Outing.
Pechanio is a 1964 graduate of DePaul University’s College of Commerce, with a major in accounting.
Upon graduating from DePaul, Pechanio was hired by the State of Illinois Department of Financial Institutions as a savings and loan examiner. In March 1965, he was drafted by the U.S. Army for two years of service.
In 1967, Pechanio resumed his work as a savings and loan examiner until joining Elmhurst Federal as its Controller in September 1970. He remained with the bank as its Chief Financial Officer until it was acquired by St. Paul Federal in 1993.
Born and raised in the Chicago area, Pechanio has lived in Elmhurst since 1970. He and his wife, Georgette, are parents to two adult, married children Matthew and Polly, and grandparents to Polly’s three children (ages 1 to 7).
Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community.
The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.
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