White honored with Chamber's Lifetime Achievement Award

As he took the stage Friday night to receive the Knox County Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, CEO Bruce White took a moment to check out the names of former recipients.

That’s when the enormity of the award really sank in for the president and CEO of Knox Community Hospital.

“You see the names of the people, and I look at those names and I think, ‘wow.’ I’ve had the opportunity to know almost all of them. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside a lot of them. And I’ve had the honor of actually being able to call many of them friends,” said an emotional White. “As I look out at the room, I see a lot of friends. I see a lot of people who have supported me, tolerated me, put up with me, and I truly, truly appreciate it.”

Dr. John Berry, president of Central Ohio Technical College, presented the award to White. Berry said the award is presented to a member of the community known for making significant contributions to Knox County and has demonstrated a long-term commitment that has been a positive impact on the lives of the residents.

Berry read from a letter written by White, describing the path that brought him to Knox County. He grew up in Mineral Ridge in northeast Ohio, working in a van shop while in high school. He went to Kent State and then Youngstown State before getting a job with Marathon Oil Company and moving to Findlay. He spent time with them in Louisiana and Texas before returning to Ohio and working at Cooper Energy Services in Mount Vernon.

White joined KCH in 1996 and was named CEO in 2006. He has served as assistant administrator, vice president of support and ancillary services, and director of information services. He has served on the boards for the Ohio Hospital Association, Mental Health and Recovery Board for Licking and Knox Counties, Community Health Center of Knox County, the Chamber of Commerce, Kenyon College, Kiwanis Club, United Way, Salvation Army, YMCA and the advisory council for the Mount Vernon Developmental Center. He also taught computer classes at COTC.

“My message tonight is I’ve been fortunate enough to find the things that I love. I’ve been able to make them my life’s work. And, I hope, I get to continue to do that for a while. Thank you everyone,” White said.

The event kicked off with former Ohio State football star and current Houston Texan tight end Cade Stover giving the keynote address.

Stover grew up on a farm in Morrow County, near Mansfield, and learned his work ethic from his father and grandfather. He shared remembering watching his dad get up at 4:30 every morning to feed the cows, then head to Columbus for a full-time job.

“Watching him do that every single day really put a perspective in me – he had the special work ethic, and he had the relentless mindset to make this thing go,” Stover said. “It’s been my goal whole entire life to help him and tell him, ‘Hey, we’re going to be able just to farm. You won’t have to work off the farm anymore, and that’s something that we can do together.’”

Stover attended Lexington High School and was named Ohio’s Mr. Football and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He went to play at Ohio State, first starting as a linebacker, then moving to defensive end. His final move was to tight end during his junior season and was named as one of three finalists for the Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s best tight end. Stover was drafted in the fourth round by the Houston Texans, where he has played for two seasons.

When he got to Houston, Stover found the perfect way to describe what he has tried to live his life — SWARM, which stands for Special Work Ethic and Relentless Mindset. It was the slogan the Texans used and perfectly summed up his life.

“This is something that I feel like I’ve tried to live my life by, basically as long as I can, and I have yet to put words to it until two years ago when I went to Houston,” Stover said. “This whole journey I’ve been through my whole entire life has been something that I’ve watched my dad do and my grandpa do, and people that I’ve admired highly, have this mindset and this special work ethic to put that together. When I heard this acronym, it’s kind of something I’ve lived by and something that took with me instantly when I figured out exactly how to put the words to how I want to live my life.”

There were several other awards handed out during the event:

•Anissa Treen was named Chamber Ambassador of the Year.

•The Environmental Sustainability Award went to the Brown Family Environmental Center.

•The Salvation Army Learning Lighthouse was named the recipient of the Heart Award.

•The Quality of Life Award went to the Mount Vernon Music & Arts Festival.

•Julie Lucas, a Chamber Ambassador, was named the Volunteer of the Year.

•The Investor in the Future Award went to the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

•Lacey Filkins of Experience Mount Vernon received the Women in Business Leadership Award.

•Paragraphs Bookstore received the Small Business of the Year Award.

•The Business of the Year Award went to The Ohio Eastern Star Home.

•Vernon View Golf Course received the Entrepreneur Spirit Award.

•Josh Lester of the Mount Vernon Fire Department won the Leadership Knox Alumni Award.