GREENE – Commerce Chenango recognized a community member and a local business for their contributions to the Chenango County community Thursday night at their 50th Annual Dinner, held at the Baron’s Inn in Greene.

Those recognized were this year’s recipient of the Commitment to Community award, Pegi LoPresti, and Distinguished Business of the Year, Frontier.

Presented first was the Commitment to Community Award.

“This award is given annually to an individual who has shown significant commitment to our community through their leadership and individual contributions,” said Maureen Carpenter, president of Commerce Chenango.

“This year’s recipient, Pegi LoPresti, is the epitome of a great leader and helps to guide decision-makers and organizations in a quiet and unassuming way,” Carpenter said, as she enumerated LoPresti’s involvement in local organizations such as the YMCA and Friends of the Park. She currently serves as the executive director of Norwich’s Business Improvement District.

“Pegi helps individuals and businesses on many levels without asking for any recognition, and in fact, she frequently shuns it,” Carpenter continued.

“This is all very humbling,” said LoPresti, as she accepted the award. “I don’t really feel like I do anything more than so many others in this room and in this community.”

LoPresti went on to thank David Emerson and Neil Bartle of BlueOx for “leading by example” by their involvement in the local community. Emerson, she said, was the one who encouraged her to participate in Leadership Chenango. “As they say, the rest is history.”