Shortly after announcing the Annual Meeting date of Jan. 20, the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce didn’t wait around to start naming honorees.
Chamber President and CEO Jeanine McKenna says Jim Kessler is the 2023 recipient of the Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award. McKenna says the award is one way the chamber can thank Kessler for all of his years of dedicated service to the community.
A Gardner native, Kessler graduated from Kansas State Teachers College, now known as Emporia State University, in 1974, turning a bachelor of science in business administration degree into a lengthy career at Emporia’s Modern Air Conditioning — first handling the office, later purchasing stock and eventually serving as co-owner. Kessler retired as company owner and president in 2017.
He says the award announcement was a heartwarming surprise.
Kessler also has been noted for his civic service since moving to Emporia. He served two four-year terms on the Emporia City Commission, including one-year terms as mayor, and he served as chair of the Chamber Board of Directors, Visit Emporia, Regional Development Association of East Central Kansas and Emporia Enterprises. Besides his time serving the Emporia State Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Knights of Columbus, Big Brothers Big Sisters, United Way of the Flint Hills and several other local organizations, Kessler has been recognized with the Emporia State Citation Award, Hornet Legend Award and Hometown Hero Award.
Kessler and his wife, Kathy, have been married 50 years. They have four children and six grandchildren.
The Chamber’s 125th Annual Meeting is Jan. 20 at the Emporia State Memorial Union. Upcoming award honorees will be named for Volunteer of the Year, Business of the Year and Community Impact of the Year.
