Hundreds turned out to the Civic Arenea Saturday for the 95th annual St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce banquet.

More than 800 people attended the event which had a 1950s theme of “An Evening in Old Hollywood.”

The Event serves as an annual meeting for chamber members.

The Civic Arena was decorated to fit the glamorous 1950s theme, guests were asked to dress in 1950s attire and the Griffey School for the Arts provided song and dance numbers to fit the theme.

The program included a year in review video, which noted highlights from 2014, as well as a brief preview of plans for 2015. Some of the main points from the video include:
• 2014 was a year dedicated to retention and growth, in jobs and membership in the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce;
• The Chamber launched two new events in 2014: Ladies on the Links and Speed Networking;
• Growing the community was an important part of the year. A new video and brochure aimed at attracting new residents was developed to help entice those who work in St. Joseph to live here as well.
• Six St. Joseph companies celebrated 100 years of Chamber membership. These companies are: American Electric Company/Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Heaton-Bowman-Smith & Sidenfaden Chapel, Hillyard Companies, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory, St. Joseph News-Press and Seaman & Schuske Metal
Works Co.
• The St. Joseph economy saw many companies grow and invest in 2014:
Schütz Container Systems, Inc., a German-based packaging company with locations worldwide will locate in St. Joseph. This will result in 50 new jobs and $20 million in investments. The company purchased Eastowne Business Park’s shell building, the 7 acres it sits on and 6.25 acres west of the
building for future expansion.
Bayer Healthcare, Protein LLC, Nor-Am Ice and Cold Storage, Triumph Foods, Albaugh LLC, Bluetree Casework and the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard all had project announcements in 2014.
The meeting was the ceremonial changing of the guard for officers. Dr. Mark Laney, of Mosaic Life
Care, was honored as the Chairman of the Board for 2014. Todd Meierhoffer, of Meierhoffer Funeral Home and Crematory, is the 2014 Chairman.