Janet Dowling takes top 2017 Chamber award

D&S Automotive named Business of Year

Janet Dowling is no stranger to the limelight.

She has held a high-profile post in the community since joining Mentor City Council in 2011 and served as Council president for the past two years.

But she said being selected the 2017 Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year is humbling, nonetheless.

“I follow in the footsteps of some pretty awesome, accomplished people, (and am) honored to have been considered and chosen,” she said. “We are so blessed in Mentor to have so many bright, talented people that make Mentor the great place it is.”

Dowling was presented the award in November by longtime friend and fellow council member Ray Kirchner.

“Even with her busy schedule, Janet finds time to enjoy the finer things in life, such as appreciating a sunset over the lake, working in the garden and spending time with her dog, Moxie,” he said in his presentation remarks.

She has been a resident of the city since 1956 and graduated from Mentor High School. She attended Lakeland Community College and Hiram College while working for her parents at Lake County Plating Corporation, a company she and her husband, Chuck, purchased in 1986 and moved to Mentor.

“Janet is active in the Mentor community and has served on the Mentor Lagoons Planning Committee and chaired the Citizens for Citizens’ Voices public action committee, which resulted in the ‘Persons Before Council’ segment of council meetings (being) aired in their entirety,” Kirchner said.

In 2002, Dowling was a founding member of the Mentor Cruise In Committee, which raised more than $90,000 for the Make-AWish Foundation through the Super Kmart Cruise Ins and the City of Mentor Annual Cruise Ins.

Along with being a member of the Chamber, Janet has served as secretary/treasurer of the Greater Mentor Port Authority, and is a member of the Lake County Safety Council and the Mentor Headlands Community Center.

Her accolades include Lake County Business Journal’s 2009 Businesswoman of the Month, Mentor High School Alumni Hall of Famer (inducted in 2012), and she was the recipient of the Millie Teuscher Award in 2015 and the 2017 Woman of Achievement Award.

Kirchner noted that Dowling holds a special place in her heart for those who have served in the U.S. military, including her husband, who served in Vietnam in the U.S. Army, and her father William “Scotty,” who served in the Pacific in the Navy during World War II.

Dowling wasn’t the only one recognized with Chamber awards.

D&S Automotive received the 2017 Business of the Year Award. D&S was founded 40 years ago and provides collision repair and automotive restyling.

“D&S Automotive is involved in the Northeast Ohio community because they passionately believe that it is the people and their stories that shape their business and make them a better company,” said presenter Jonathan Kelley of J’s Pizza Market. “They are involved in local high schools, nonprofit organizations and local businesses.

“D&S also hosts community events of their own, such as their annual car show to benefit UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and a popular professional business after-hours networking event, which they partner on with the Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce and other local Chambers.”

The car show has been held for four years and raised more than $20,000 for the hospital, which provided long-term care to the newborn daughter of D&S Vice President CJ Paterniti, Kelley said.

Dowling