State Sen. Tom Niehaus will be the guest speaker at the annual Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce business awards dinner next Thursday.

Niehaus, who can’t run again because of term limits, will be honored by the chamber for work that benefited Lawrence County.

Also at the dinner, the chamber will honor Dr. Arturo Roa as Business Entrepreneur of the Year. Roa, an ears, nose and throat specialist, is responsible for building Liberty Circle Medical Building in Proctorville.

The chamber’s Young Professional of the Year is Massie Schemmel, assistant vice president and branch manager of City Bank in Ironton. Schemmel is past chair of the chamber’s Young Professionals and has worked for the past three years on the group’s Secret Santa project.

Business of the Year Award will go to St. Mary’s Medical Center’s Ironton Campus for its contribution to the county’s economy by opening a 24-hour emergency room facility.

Harriette Ramsey will receive the Public Servant of the Year Award. Ramsey is the founder and president of the Concerned Citizens of Burlington, a volunteer organization promoting the welfare of the community of Burlington.

New officers of the chamber will also be sworn in. Ted Edwards will be president for the upcoming year. Larry Anderson will be internal vice president, Rachel Sargent, external vice president, Casey Baker, treasurer, and Massie Schemmel, secretary.

Also new to the board are Bret Hensley and Julie Terry.

The dinner starts at 6 p.m. at the Ohio University Southern Rotunda.