Our Chamber Banquet Honorees

We will be honoring three well-deserving people at the 104th Annual Banquet of the Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture to be held Thursday, March 9. Here is who they are and a little bit about them:

Business Person of the Year 2023

Russ Baird started HealthStar International Inc., an international recruiting agency for physical therapist and nurses, and he ran the company until recently turning it over to his daughter Erin. Now, his total time is devoted to restoring and remodeling the buildings that he has owned for more than 20 years in downtown Wharton.

Most of the buildings have been through multiple renovations over the years, the first of which was new roofing for all buildings. It now continues with major restorations to bring all buildings up to useable conditions while retaining the atmosphere of our downtown.

After serving in the U.S. Army and after obtaining his Master’s Degree in Science in Physical Therapy, he went to work for Wharton-based Physical Therapy Associates, which was founded by Tom Carlson. Between 1974 and 1995 he held many different positions with PTA, HealthFocus, Associated Healthfocus and Rehability Corp. Around 1995, when Rehability bought HealthFocus, he bought these buildings in downtown Wharton from Rehability, which moved all offices to Brentwood, Tenn.

Educator of the Year 2023

Fritz Zarate is a math specialist for kindergarten through 12th grade. He has been in education for 20 years. He worked 12 years in the Philippines and the last eight years in Wharton ISD. He is married 119 years to his wife, Marge Zarate. They have four children, Dominic, Miguel, Xyrus and Francesca.

He was named Teacher of the Year in 2020, Wharton Junior High Teacher of the Year in 2020, and Wharton ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year in 2022. Zarate also won Educator of the Year for the Edwards Ministerial Association Image Awards in 2022.

Volunteer of the Year 2023

Karen Smith has been instrumental in furthering the Wharton community as a volunteer and serves as president of the Wharton Lions Club. Karen takes pride in her love for her family, church and her community. She says "We Serve" is not just the Lions Club moto but also one she lives by.

She has been employed as safety manager at JM Eagle for the last 21 years. She has lived in Wharton County for 29 years with her husband, Rick.

The Billie H. Jones Leadership Academy

One of Billie Jones’ accomplishments while she ran the Chamber of Commerce was the creation of a leadership class. It’s back. After a long hiatus, a new class will begin this fall.

We’ve named it after Billie, too. It’s called the Billie H. Jones Leadership Academy. The inaugural class will start in September 2023 and go through March 2024, meeting on the second Friday of each month.

The Academy will be a topic, too, at the chamber’s next Lunch and Learn, which will be held Friday, Feb. 17, at the Wharton Civic Center (You can still buy tickets.).

The new Leadership Academy has been a long time in the making. It will be a function of the Wharton Chamber’s Community Enhancement Fund, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, which is an arm of the Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture.

The heart of the program, however, belongs to Shannon Haltom, who designed the program and will lead each session.

Shannon is well known for her skills and is a Maxwell Leadership Certified Trainer. She owns Run Your Race Leadership Consulting Service of Wharton. She was born and raised in the Wharton area and is committed to making Wharton a better place. We are thrilled to have her.

Shannon describes the academy as a hybrid of in-person events, from workshops to field trips, including entrepreneurial skills, customer service and finance.

The application due date is June 30, 2023. Cost is $200. A limited number of scholarships will be available. The Mary Louise Dobson Foundation is a major funder of the academy.

You can find out more at the chamber’s Lunch and Learn on Feb. 17. Contact admin@whartonchamber.com or 979-532-1862. You can get tickets on line at whartonchamber.com/news

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