Chamber celebrates business efforts
SLIPPERY ROCK — The Butler County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday night highlighted business accomplishments and leadership at its Celebrate Business Annual Dinner at Slippery Rock University.
John Giles, founder and president of Future POS, was honored with the 2014 William A. Morgan Jr. Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“This is kind of surreal,” Giles said. “As a kid growing up in Butler, Bill Morgan was a legend.”
The award, presented to an outstanding business owner recommended by the chamber's Past President's Advisory Council and past award recipients, is named after the late Butler businessman who owned a number of businesses and properties, including the Morgan Center office complex in downtown Butler.
Future POS in Center Township develops point-of-sale software that is used by the hospitality industry.
Giles started the company in 1998 after graduating from Butler High School, and today it is an award-winning firm recognized as a leader in its industry. Future POS products are used at restaurants from Butler County to some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world. They also are featured on Spike TV's “Bar Rescue.”
“When I first started the business, I had a pretty simple dream: make a million dollars and sit on the beach somewhere,” Giles said.
“That was 16 years ago, and in the 16 years since, it's taken on a life of its own. The people I've hired are like family to me.
“As it progresses and time goes on, it gives me a sense of legacy that I can give back to the Butler community and do my own little Bill Morgan thing in the future, and maybe my children and my grandchildren will be able to work there and have a good paying job.”
During the past year, the company awarded more than $9,000 in scholarships to encourage students to pursue careers in technology.Also this year, the company bought property farther north of its office on Route 8, where it plans to develop a campus as it continues to grow.Giles thanked his friends and family for contributing to the company's success, particularly his wife, Kelly, the company's vice president.The C.W. Howard Insurance Agency in Butler received the 2014 Chamber Business Champion Award, which recognizes organizations that display vision, ingenuity, commitment and determination.Ruth Purcell of Butler County Community College, which was last year's Chamber Champion, introduced the award.She said the third-generation, family owned and operated agency in Butler has been an example of those qualities since Clarence “C.W.” Howard founded the business in 1951.The agency has grown to offer many lines of personal and commercial insurance, and its owners and employees volunteer their time and resources to a wide array of community initiatives.“If you've been on the chamber, you know somebody from C.W. Howard,” she said.Jocelyn Howard Sinopoli, president of the agency and daughter of Clarence Howard, accepted the award, thanking her family and staff for remaining committed to the agency's vision, especially after the untimely death of her brother and then-agency President David Howard in an airplane accident in 2003.She explained that while tragic, the accident caused everyone to come together, take leadership and find ways to make a difference in the community.The chamber also recognized the graduates of the Leadership Butler County Class of 2014, which is a nine-month program that exposes participants to issues, resources and opportunities for service in the area. It is affiliated with the chamber and run in partnership with BC3, SRU, the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, and the United Way of Butler County.
