Charles L. Hutson, president of Hutson Furniture Co. in Cape Girardeau, has been honored by the Chamber of Commerce for his tireless service to the community.

Hutson received the Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. Award, which is presented each year to a person with a record of longtime community achievement.

The award was presented by David Limbaugh, a grandson of 101-year-old Rush Limbaugh Sr., for whom the award is named.

The presentation highlighted the annual dinner and dance meeting of the Chamber, which was held at the Show Me Center on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. More than 750 people attended the meeting.

Alvin "Buddy" Bess, a co-owner of Bluff City Beer, received the chamber's second Small Business of the Year Award presented by the Chamber's Small Business-Business Research Committee.

Hutson's involvement in the community is far-reaching. He is currently president of the Southeast Missouri Hospital Board of Trustees. He is a past president of the Cape Girardeau Redevelopment Corp. and a member of the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation. He is a member of Boatmen's Bank Board of Directors

Hutson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a past president of the Downtown Merchants Association.

In announcing the honor, David Limbaugh described Hutson as "a doer."

"It's easy to do a lot of things when you have good people to work with," said a surprised Hutson. "Cape Girardeau has some fine merchants and great people to work with," he said.

Bess, president of Bluff City Beer, said he was surprised that Bluff City Beer was named Small Business of the Year.

"We were told that we were a finalist for the honor," said Bess, of Poplar Bluff. "My brother Joda Bess of Cape Girardeau, vice president of the firm is on vacation and could not be here."

Bluff City Beer moved its headquarters from Poplar Bluff to Cape Girardeau in 1992.

The firm has five distribution centers throughout Southeast Missouri, including the new 15,300-square-foot warehouse constructed recently on Siemers Drive in Cape West Business Park.

A new office building is situated adjacent to the distribution center at 450 Siemers Drive, and houses an eight-person headquarters staff. The new Cape Girardeau headquarters offers the company a convenient access to the five locations.

Bluff City Beer, which distributes Miller Brewing Co. products in 17 Southeast Missouri counties from Jefferson County south to the Arkansas border, has distribution centers in Herculaneum, Bonne Terre, Poplar Bluff, Kennett and Cape Girardeau.

Bluff City Beer was founded in 1933 by the Bess family and is owned by Buddy Bess, Joda Bess of Cape Girardeau and other members of their families.

"Our company started out as a fruit-and-vegetable operation in 1927," said Buddy Bess. "The family started by raising watermelons in the Blodgett area, then moved to Sikeston where they operated a country store featuring fruits and vegetables."

The beer distributorship started in 1933.

"We're observing our 60th anniversary as a distributorship this year," said Bess, who received the award form John E. Mehner, retiring chairman of the Chamber board.

During another awards presentation, Neal Edwards received the Go-Getter Award, presented to a person on the Chamber's Membership Committee for efforts in obtaining new members. Edwards has received the award 12 times during the 25-year history of the award.

Mehner reviewed some of the accomplishments of the chamber during the past year, including its participation and leadership role in establishing the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association, which involves Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City and Cape Girardeau County.

"We had a tremendous year in 1992," said Mehner. "More than 1,200 people attended our First Friday Coffees and over 1,150 people attend our Business after Hours. We also established a new committee Minority Relations."

Mehner, in his final role as chairman, presented the gavel to new chairman Harry Rediger.

"We're a growing city," said Rediger. "You have only to look at aerial maps of the city over the years to see just how much we have grown."

Rediger said major goals of the chamber for 1993 would be new growth, new facilities and new leadership.

Bob Hendrix, who has served as president of the Chamber more than 20 years recently announced his retirement, effective in December 1993.

"We have search committees for a new president and for a new facility," said Rediger. "Our present facility has served us well, but we have outgrown it. We need more space, more parking, and more visibility."