The Westfield Chamber of Commerce’s 38th annual Lantern Awards were held on Thursday, Nov. 5 at the Bridgewater Club in Westfield. Congratulations to Jim Ake on being the recipient of the first-ever Legacy Award for his lifetime of Community Leadership.
The theme of this year’s Lantern Awards was “Celebrating 38 years of service to the community.” The annual presentation of the Lantern Awards is a time-honored tradition of the Westfield Chamber of Commerce. The signature event, initially called Community Night, began in 1982. When it was redesigned in 2007, it became known at the Lantern Awards. The Chamber’s awards follow a lantern theme with the individual awards being named for the parts of a lantern to honor Westfield’s history and ties to the Underground Railroad.
Through the Lantern Awards, the Westfield Chamber of Commerce celebrates the community of Westfield. Held annually, this event is a semi-formal dinner designed to bring the community together for an evening of fellowship while recognizing and honoring outstanding residents and businesses. The event also raises money to support the Chamber’s academic scholarship as well as a donation to the service organization of the year.
Jim Ake was born in Akron, Ohio, but Westfield is his home. He started his career as a young teen with a paper route, his own lawn mowing business and as a ski instructor. After graduating college, he managed a Goodyear Tire and Appliance Store and later went to the sales division, where he quickly earned the title of “Salesperson of the Year.” Though Jim excelled at sales, he had to travel often and this gave him little time to volunteer in his community, so when he and his beloved wife Mary were able to buy a local income tax franchise, they jumped at the chance. Together, they built the most successful location in the entire franchise series.
Jim and Mary Ake built their home in Westfield’s Centennial neighborhood in 2000, and they have been a fixture in the community ever since. (Reporter photo by Denise Moe)
In 2000, Jim and Mary built their home in Westfield’s Centennial subdivision, where Jim was elected as the first-ever President of the HOA Master Board, where he served for three years and successfully implemented a budget with a surplus.
Jim chaired the Westfield Trash and Recycling study group that resulted in the City Council adopting the group’s suggested ordinance that instituted Westfield’s current trash collection and recycling program, saving residents over $1 million year after year in reduced fees (plus the environmental benefits). For four out of the eight years that Jim served on the Westfield City Council, he led the Council as President and was vital, along with Mayor Andy Cook, in transforming Westfield into the sixth “Best Place to Live” in the country.
Some of the City of Westfield’s accomplishments under Jim’s leadership have been: Grand Park, Grand Junction, building the new Playhouse, getting high-speed fiber optic internet service into Westfield, funding the new high school football stadium, and making $44 million available for infrastructure improvement through the sale of water and sewer facilities.
Outside of elected office, Jim gives his time in the schools, mentoring youth, raising funds for charities, Westfield Rotary (he was Rotarian of the Year in 2019), and serving on the advisory board for the Grand University Observatory/STEM Project helping to bring Purdue University on board as a STEM partner.
Jim’s heart and home is in Westfield #Bestfield and he has given his all in helping to make Westfield the wonderful, vibrant and exciting city that it has become.
Well done and well deserved!