And the nominees
are...
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Lifetime Achievement
Award
 The Naperville Area Chamber of
Commerce will present longtime resident and
businesswoman Bev Patterson Frier with the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the upcoming Small Business of
the Year Awards May 13.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given each year to
one business and civic leader for their commitment
to Naperville’s business community, excellence in
business stewardship, contributions to the region’s
quality of life, and leadership in support of
economic progress.
“When John Schmitt called me, I assumed it was a
business call,” Frier said. “But when he told me I
was going to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award,
I was totally overwhelmed.”
Chamber president and CEO John Schmitt said Frier is
passionate about the Naperville community and is a
role model for younger generations.
“We often say Naperville is a community made up of
ordinary people who do extraordinary things,”
Schmitt said. “Bev is an exemplary representation of
the great business and civic leaders we have in our
community.”
Frier said she is truly honored and humbled to be
chosen for the award.
“Knowing those who have been so honored before me, I
can’t imagine I fit in that same category,” she
said. “I am just an ordinary person and feel there
are so many people in this town who are worthy of
this recognition. Thank you.”
Frier joins a distinguished group of business and
civic leaders named Lifetime Achievement Award
recipients. The past five recipients of the award
are:
2010 – Dr. Kenneth Packer, Packer Engineering
2009 – Ray Jones, Friedrich-Jones Funeral
Home
2008 – Frank Slocumb, Harris N.A.
2007 – Carmine DiGiovine, DiGiovine, Hnilo
Jordan + Johnson, Ltd.
2006 – Ed Channel, Sound Inc.
About Bev Patterson Frier
Bev Patterson Frier was born in Anderson, Ind., and
graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle,
Ind., with a bachelor’s degree in music. She moved
to Naperville in 1962 and immediately began
contributing to the area’s business community.
Frier started Fabric Inn in 1966 in Naperville and
later added a second store in Elgin, Ill. Just one
year later, she opened her first music store, Bev
Patterson Piano & Organ Co. Frier opened three
additional stores in 1973, 1974 and 1975—located in
Addison, Ill., Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill.,
and Fox Valley Mall in Aurora, Ill., respectively.
During this time, Frier became the first-ever woman
nominated for a seat on the board of directors of
the National Association of Music Merchants. She
served on the board for three years.
Frier sold Bev Patterson Piano & Organ Co. in 1982
but retained ownership of the properties in
Naperville and Addison and rented them out to
business tenants. Frier continued to rent pianos on
her own out of her home until 1995.
In 1999, Frier spearheaded a still-ongoing endeavor
to build the Omnia Performing Arts & Cultural Center
in downtown Naperville. Omnia is a nonprofit
organization focused on revitalizing the north side
of downtown Naperville’s dilapidated train station.
Frier is a founding member of the organization.
In addition to her contributions to Naperville’s
business community, Frier has always donated a
significant amount of her time to various area clubs
and organizations.
She been a member of the Naperville Chamber of
Commerce since 1966 and has served several stints on
the Chamber board. She is also a founding member of
both the DuPage Investment Club and the Center for
Lifelong Learning in Naperville. Frier serves on the
senior advisory board under Illinois state
representative Darlene Senger and the board of
Naperville Elderly Homes Inc., Martin Manor. Other
affiliations include the Interlochen Center for the
Arts in Interlochen, Mich., and The Ninety-Nines
Inc.—an international organization of women pilots.
Congratulations to Bev
Patterson Frier.
REGISTER NOW
For more information or questions please contact Lisa Livingston, Director, Event Services at (630) 544 - 3365.
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