La Salle Business Association hands out 3 awards

The La Salle Business Association hosted on Thursday its annual awards banquet, recognizing local businesses and businesspeople who have made a positive impact on the La Salle business community.

2024 Business of the Year

Petals by Peyton is a flower and plant shop located on First Street that specializes in houseplants and fresh floral arrangements. Petals by Peyton is owned by Peyton Lamps.

Lamps started her business as a young enterprising high schooler selling succulent planters on Facebook Marketplace. She worked at a local greenhouse learning the trade between the ages of 13 to 19. At 20, in November 2019, she mustered the energy and courage to open her storefront downtown. Five months later, the COVID-19 pandemic struck leading to mandatory business closures. Despite those very unique circumstances, Lamps kept moving forward and found new and innovative ways to promote her new business.

Since starting her business, Lamps has grown Pedals into a space rooted in creativity and community. In 2024, she hosted nearly 90 workshops where she invited community members to her shop or met on site at another business and attendees learn to make flower arrangements or unique crafts using flowers and plants. She is one of the most effective local marketers of her business and uses social media as well as anyone in our community to promote her store and her product. She has 21,000 Facebook followers and 8,000 Instagram followers.

Lamps proves time and time again just how well a motivated, creative small business owner can use available, inexpensive resources to maximize the potential of her business. Outside of horticulture, she serves on the board of the City of La Salle Foundation and the Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development.

Just this past weekend, she helped launch the City of La Salle’s Community Garden. She is a strong believer that gathering, connecting and creating are the best ways to foster a strong community and thriving business environment.

2024 Businesspersons of the Year

Tom Ptak and Lynn Cawley are long-time business owners in downtown La Salle. They have owned and operated Studio 718 Hair Salon on First Street for 45 years.

What’s more impressive, and it speaks to them as employers, is that their core staff has been with them for more than 40 years. Ptak and Cawley have been active members of the La Salle business community during their time running the salon.

Ptak has served as the Second Ward Alderman of La Salle since 2006 and was just reelected to serve his sixth term. He has served as the finance chairman for the city since 2012. He served on the LBA board for 14 years and was one of the founding members of Jazz Fest. He served on the YMCA board for 28 years. Consistently for about 30 years, Ptak has been either a boys or girls basketball coach between St. Patrick’s and Trinity Catholic Grade Schools, St. Bede Academy, the Amateur Athletic Union and Illinois Valley Community College. He is the head coach for the girls’ varsity team at St. Bede.

Cawley is a devoted member of La Salle Catholic Parishes and has been a regular presence and volunteer at St. Patrick’s for many decades. She jokes that the youngest of her staff could be her grandchildren, and she loves and prays for them like they are. She believes in supporting her employees and helping them grow. She considers them family and believes the best way to manage her team is through collaboration, working together, sharing ideas and educating.

Legacy Award

Dave Wilcoxson has been a mainstay of downtown La Salle.

Any given day during the tax season, you will see his parked in front of his accounting practice at the Medical Arts Building on Second and Marquette Streets where he’s been since December 1965. This tax preparation season is his 61st in this location.

Wilcoxson was born and raised in Sheffield. He got his start in accounting after graduating from college in 1962. He interviewed with the CPA firm Peat Marwick & Mitchell, and they offered him a job. Working for a large CPA firm wasn’t Dave’s preference, so he turned down that job in favor of a job with McGladrey, Hansen, Dunn & Co where he worked for three years out of their Clinton, Iowa office.

Wilcoxson knew he’d be much happier owning his own firm in a smaller community. Seeing the successful business community in La Salle, he made the decision to relocate to La Salle and start his own practice.

Over the past six decades Wilcoxson has worked closely with prominent community leaders and businesspeople and has held offices in various civic and community organizations. He was involved in the initial formation of the United Way’s Illinois Valley chapter. He has served as president of La Salle Rotary twice and has had perfect attendance for more than 60 years. He is a past president of the IVCC board.

Over the years, Wilcoxson & Associates, financially and through volunteer efforts, has supported Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development, the La Salle Business Association, the Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, La Salle Little League, the Horizon House and many other local cultural, charitable and sport activities.

In addition to his volunteer involvement, Wilcoxson has been a steady employer in La Salle and has provided accounting services, auditing services and other financial advisory services to most of the small businesses, local governing bodies, banks and school districts in the area and surrounding counties. He has been a member of the LBA since its inception.