The Eufaula Area Chamber of Commerce has been nominated for an Aeros Award, an award bestowed annually on various disciplines by the Aeros Awards Excellence Committee in McAlester.
Eufaula’s Chamber is a semifinalist.
Winners of the award will be selected on Dec. 6.
Along with the title of 2025 Aeros Awards Oklahoma Chamber of the Year, this year’s winner will receive two paid entries to the 2025 MAKO Chamber Conference in Branson, MO, and two hotel rooms for the nights of that event.
“We are honored to be recognized, and we look forward to representing our amazing community in this process! Our future is bright,” said Chamber Director Serina Kleveter.
The Aeros Awards of Excellence celebrate individuals and organizations that elevate their communities to greater heights.
Originally established to honor outstanding educators, the awards have expanded to include chambers of commerce that demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact.
Ben Capers, who works full-time in marketing at the McAlester Regional Health Center, and a group of colleagues started The Aeros Project and the Aeros Awards of Excellence to recognize individuals in Southeast Oklahoma who are taking their organizations, businesses and communities to greater heights.
According to the Aeros Project website: Recipients of an Aeros Award possess what we call ‘the Aeros Spirit’. Those with the Aeros Spirit persist in the face of adversity. They adapt when a crisis arises. They overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, lift up those around them, and excel where others fall short.
In Greek, ‘aero’ is a prefix that relates to air and flight. “
It was these concepts that inspired the idea of the Aeros Spirit. First, we consider the principle of air. While the air around us cannot be seen, when pressure is applied, it can reshape the earth’s surface in the form of wind. It is relentless, and when properly channeled, it can power entire cities. And of course, breathing clean, fresh air is vital to our survival.
Air is also a crucial element in regards to taking flight; our second principle of the Aeros Spirit. Whether we think of birds, balloons, kites, or airplanes, none could travel without the air in and around them. Without air, a plane’s engines have no combustion which generates thrust. The thrust of the engines generates lift, the force of the solid plane contacting the fluid air. And when that force overcomes the weight of the plane, it takes flight.
Similarly, those with the Aeros Spirit are reshaping their organizations and communities with their relentless pursuit of excellence. They stand tall and lead when confronted with a crisis. In short, they are the best of the best.
