By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Even such perceptive radio personalities as Clint Corpe and Larry Weiss had trouble ferreting out who was the winner of this year’s I Love BG Award.
As Dave Horger, their predecessor at “The Morning Show” on WBGU-FM, provided details of the winner’s “life,” they sensed something amiss. For one thing there was enough resume for two people.
Clint Corpe exchanges congratulations with Rita and Gene Klotz.
Corpe wondered: Who else beside him attending the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce’s Mid-Year Meeting and Awards Program went to school in Bowling Green… Kentucky?
But the detail about working for Bowling Green State University didn’t fit.
Born in Germany fit him, but Corpe never worked as a youngster at A&W Root Beer. That story, however, clinched the winner’s identity for Weiss. He remembered well the day that Horger was describing.
Larry Eeiss chats with Rita Klotz.
Weiss was 13 or 14 and his friend’s uncle’s A&W stand was busy and desperate for help. So they called him in. A shiny, new convertible pulled up and ordered three root beers. The young Larry delivered them, spilling them into and onto the car. He returned with another round of pop, and, as Horger related, after he dumped those in the car, he called his mother to pick him up. His career at A&W was over after one car. Far greater success lay ahead.
He went on to graduate from BGSU in 1967 and to work in industry before returning to the university with a job in alumni relations in 1973.
When he was approached about returning to BGSU, he responded: “Those were the best years of my life. I’d love to come back to Bowling Green to work.” That’s where he spent his career.
He did some radio while in college, and later hosted a sports show on WBGU-TV for three years.
Five years ago Horger, who had started “The Morning Show” with support from the Chamber, approached him and asked if he’d like to host the show one week a month.
Weiss’ format is more in-depth interviews, lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Meeting those guests and “helping them get their stories out” has been the highlight of the job, he said.
Corpe was recruited to replace Horger, when the original host had to step aside because of health issues.
Corpe had studied radio in college and worked in the field for about six years. Then he turned his attention to business.
He moved to Bowling Green about 30 years ago and has been involved with a number of ventures. For a time, he managed both the Panera in downtown Bowling Green and the Holiday Inn Express.
Now he figures he works even more hours keeping track of news and events around Bowling Green. But he doesn’t count the hours because he’s so invested in keeping his listeners informed.
He was a fan of Horger’s when he did the show, and now wonders how Horger did the show solo for five years.
At the luncheon, he found himself in an unusual position. At the point in the event when he’d expect to be interviewing the award winners, he was the one facing a tape recorder and note pad.
Corpe said he was just enjoying listening to Horger’s introduction when it dawned on him that he may be the recipient, or at least one of them.
He was flabbergasted when he learned he was the honoree. “Wow, how can you be honored for something you just love to do?”
Gene Klotz acknowledges all the contributions to the business made by his wife, Rita.
The Small Business of the Year award went to Klotz Floral & Garden Center, one of the city’s oldest businesses.
It started on 20 acres in 1918, selling plants on hand-made wooden flats. Now it has expanded to four times that size, and is looking to the fifth generation of the family involved in the enterprise.
That fifth generation is two grandsons, 5 and 7, who spend a lot of time at the shop. Gene Klotz, the owner, even told the 5-year-old to introduce himself to a sales person as the owner.
As a small business, Klotz said, receiving recognition from the Chamber is valuable.
Misty (Manley) Dimick (left) accepts Customer Services Award for Heritage Corners.
The Customer Service Award went to Heritage Corner Health Care Campus. The business, which was started 25 years ago by Mark and Debra Manley, has expanded from an assisted living facility to include nursing suites, a fitness center for clients, a child care center, and a memory care unit.
Their nomination was accompanied by eight of the hundreds of testimonials they receive each year from grateful families.
Michael Brown
Michael Brown, of DMB Coaching, delivered the luncheon remarks. He said the turning point in his life came 30 years ago when he learned that his 35-year-old mother had ovarian cancer.
In the 15 months that she struggled with the disease before dying, Brown said he and his brother had “very candid conversations about her regrets.”
“She always anticipated that she’d have the opportunity to do something different down the road,” he said. “She always thought there was a guarantee of tomorrow. And there wasn’t.”
This led Brown to believe that people need “to celebrate every moment…make every choice count.”
Now that he has outlived his mother by 12 years, he sees even more clearly that “it’s a privilege and honor to be alive today.”
In his talk he shared the principles, problems and perspectives and prescriptions for celebrating each day.
“I celebrate each day because I’m every aware that life is short.”
Over the next year or so, Brown will be working with the Chamber to present workshops and talks to further explain how this approach applies to members’ lives and businesses.
