From left, Ryan Taylor, who won the Business Leader of the Year award at Thursday evening’s Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley award dinner, chats with Torie Jackson and Olivia Reeder. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

PARKERSBURG – The Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley brought together business leaders, partners and community members Thursday evening for a combined State of the Chamber program, annual awards ceremony and the inaugural graduation of Leadership MOV. The event, held at the Center on Market, marked the first time the chamber merged the three programs into one night.

“We will give kind of a look back on 2025 as far as chamber activities and events, and a little sneak peek for 2026,” said Chamber President and CEO Jill Parsons, who explained that the chamber launched the Leadership MOV program this year with a 20-person cohort. “Tonight they will get their graduation and have a few words about the class… And then the last part of the event tonight will be our annual awards.”

Parsons highlighted the organization’s growth, noting that the chamber now has 419 members representing nonprofits, education, small and large businesses, health care providers and regional employers.

“It really is kind of a nice snapshot of what our business community looks like in the Mid-Ohio Valley,” she said, adding the chamber added 57 new members in 2025.

She also underscored the chamber’s mission to “celebrate, communicate and connect,” describing its ribbon cuttings, business-after-hours gatherings, legislative outreach, newsletter communications and member programming. She previewed major 2026 initiatives, including the Women in Leadership Conference in June, the return of the Challenge Cup competitions and year two of Leadership MOV, which already has six applicants.

Jill Parsons, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley, celebrates the artwork done by the Leadership MOV class during the chamber’s award dinner on Thursday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

Membership and communication specialist Andrea Duke introduced the 2025 Leadership MOV graduates with reflections on the program’s inaugural year. The cohort spent eight months touring businesses and institutions across the region, meeting with local leaders and learning about manufacturing, health care, tourism, nonprofits, transportation and the arts.

“The most popular session, by a landslide, was the art session,” Duke said, recalling watercolor lessons at Marietta Makery and tours of the Actors Guild, the Parkersburg Art Center and the Peoples Bank Theatre. “By the end, none of us were entirely sure whether we were creating masterpieces or just power washing our paper, but we laughed, we learned and we bonded.”

Duke noted that several members joined nonprofit boards as a direct result of the program. A canvas featuring the artwork created during the class will hang permanently in the chamber office.

The chamber recognized businesses and individuals across seven award categories:

* New Business of the Year: Gribble Roofing (sponsored by First Mutual Bank)

Andrea Duke celebrates the participants of the Leadership MOV class during Thursday evening’s Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley’s awards ceremony. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

* Community Impact Award: Peoples Bank (sponsored by Integrated Health Centers of West Virginia)

* Property Improvement Awards: WVU Medicine Camden Clark Southgate Medical Complex (sponsored by the City of Parkersburg), Flanagan’s Place (sponsored by Coplin Health Systems), Smith & Company Vintage Market (sponsored by PDJ Accounting)

* Chamber Champion: Brian Brady, WSI Digital Marketing, and Vijay Shah, West Virginia University at Parkersburg (sponsored by Chamber staff)

* Emerging Leader of the Year: Sydnie Beall, Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport (sponsored by Integrated Health Centers of West Virginia)

* Business Leader of the Year: Ryan Taylor, Pickering Associates (sponsored by First Neighborhood Bank)

Taylor, who previously earned the Chamber’s Emerging Leader award in 2013, said the recognition was especially meaningful.

“It feels fantastic,” he said. “I love this community, and I’m happy to contribute and give back to this community.”

Taylor said receiving Business Leader of the Year more than a decade after his first honor “absolutely” felt like a full-circle moment.

Taylor said Pickering Associates has a strong outlook heading into 2026. “We’re very busy… We have a large backlog, a lot of exciting projects that are going to grow the community and beyond,” he said. “There’s exciting things on the horizon.”

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com