The Arnold Chamber of Commerce recently honored the 2022 Business Person of the Year and Don Earl Citizen of the Year award winners.
Rob Schneider, an advertising account representative for Leader Publications, was named the business person of the year, and Dan Shaul, state director of the Missouri Grocers Association and former state representative, was named the citizen of the year.
The two received their awards at the chamber’s Jan. 17 meeting at Wesley Roger’s Steak and Buffet in Arnold.
“It is always nice to honor people for what they do,” chamber executive director Stephanie Engle said.
Business Person of the Year
Donna Litton, business development officer at Bloomsdale Bank in Crystal City, nominated Schneider for the award.
Engle said two people were nominated for the honor, and chamber board of director members selected the winner.
Litton said she was happy Schneider won.
“As I was thinking about (who to nominate), I came up with Rob’s name. When I wrote why I nominated him, I was like, ‘How could they not see this? Why have we not seen this before now? He should have been recognized before now.’ When I learned he won, I was very pleased.”
Schneider, 54, who lives in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton, said he found out he had been nominated for the award when he was named the winner. The business person of the year recipient was announced during the chamber’s Dec. 6 holiday party.
Schneider said he nearly missed being told he won the award.
“At the holiday party, I had somewhere else to be and I was standing by the door, pushing my chair in with my coat in my arms, and they were giving awards for past president and other positions,” he said. “Then I heard (Holly Lincoln of Jefferson College, who served as the chamber president last year) say, ‘I better catch him before he gets out the door, and the award goes to Rob Schneider.’”
Schneider said he was surprised he won the award, and he felt honored.
“Almost without exception it is a business owner or principal of some kind, a president of a company or something,” he said. “I think the longevity and stewardship to the chamber is why they saw fit to honor me this time.”
Schneider has worked for Leader Publications for the past 20 years, and before that, he owned a cellular retail store in Arnold.
Litton said Schneider deserves the award for how he helps the chamber and because of how he helps businesses through the Leader.
“When he is working his job and talking to you about advertising or an upcoming event, his wheels are always spinning. He always finds a benefit for you in it,” she said. “I feel he has the best interests of all of Jefferson County at heart. No matter if he is doing a chamber event or something else, he is thinking about his community at large. I think that shows in his success.”
Citizen of the Year
Melissa Lintner, a mortgage adviser for Guild Mortgage in Imperial, nominated Shaul for the award.
Engle said two people were nominated for the honor, and chamber members selected the winner.
“It came down to Dan is a good-hearted person,” Lintner said. “His head is in the right place. His heart is in the right place. He does a lot and deserves a lot. He is extremely involved in the community as a whole.
“He is a person a lot of people look up to, and I thought it would be a nice honor for him.”
Shaul, 54, of Imperial recently completed his fourth two-year term in the Missouri House of Representatives. Because he had served four terms, he could not serve in the house again.
He lost a primary race for the Republican Party nomination for District 22 in the Missouri Senate, which Mary Elizabeth Coleman won.
Shaul said he knew he was nominated, but he didn’t know he had won until receiving the award.
“It really is an honor for people in your community who know you to recognize you,” he said. “I really took it to heart. Coming from the business community and Arnold chamber, it is quite an honor. Those people knew me before I was in the state house, and they knew me after. They recognize I am the same person before and after serving in the state house.”
Lintner said Shaul’s commitment to remain close to the community he had represented in the House, including serving on the Windsor C-1 School Board of Education, is why she felt he deserved the honor.
“I thought he was a fantastic (state) representative,” Lintner said. “He does a lot for the community as a whole. Locally, everyone is extremely respectful toward him, and he is easy to connect with. I think everyone holds that kind of sentiment, and when they saw his name (to vote for him for the award), it was kind of a no-brainer for them.”
Shaul said he appreciates the award.
“We see a lot of elected officials get caught up in the life of being an elected official,” he said. “I made sure I attended events back home, especially the chamber events, so I remembered what my purpose was in Jefferson City those eight years.
“I encourage all elected officials to stay as connected to their community as possible. That was one thing I made sure I did the entire time I was in the state house. I made sure I took part in almost every activity I could find in the district. It kept me in tune and connected with the community, instead of being inside that bubble because the bubble will pop.”