ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner Thursday night at the Flight Deck, where about 200 people gathered to recognize local businesses and individuals for their impact on the community over the past year. Rise Up Dance Studio was named Small Business of the Year, while Birrieria Las Tapatias received Restaurant of the Year. Mandi Morris was named Delegate of the Year and Bruns Construction earned Community Partner honors. Brown’s Tax Service was recognized as Family Business of the Year and Runnings of Rochelle was named Retailer of the Year. The Flagg Township Museum received the Legacy Award for its long history of preserving local artifacts and documents.
Several businesses were also recognized as part of Welcome to Rochelle for recent openings or expansions, including Doug Smith Motors, Mason Smith Auto Repair, and Superior Dent Services. Sarah Smith of Shy Nox was named Entrepreneur of the Year for her business work in Rochelle. Mayor John Bearrows and Bearrows Auctioneering received the Director’s Award. Bearrows has operated his auction business since 1975 and has served as mayor since 2019, and recently announced plans to retire from the real estate and auction business.