The Village Valuable Award is presented to someone who always seems to be there, right when GVS needs them, to lend a special skill, solve a problem or simply to do some hard work. These are the can-do people that we know will always say “yes” when asked to help, who give of their time and talent freely, and who always wear a smile. Because he does it all and makes it look easy, the 2013 Village Valuable is Scott Heimlich.
Scott purchased Barcelona 11 years ago and has managed to be a quiet presence, a driving force, an inspiration, a go-getter and do-gooder for the Society and our neighborhood ever since. Scott says that thanks to “new developments, old traditions and local celebrations, he has been intertwined with the German Village Society and residents lives like he never imagined.”
Instrumental in the success of the German Village Business Community, Scott has long supported neighborhood business collaboration, promoting German Village and all it has to offer, and better connecting our neighborhood with the rest of the city. He has helped revive the annual Art Crawl and has chaired Village Lights so that his and other local businesses rise to the top together and share in the community spirit German Village is so fortunate to exude. Scott has supported and donated to German Village Society, Business Community, and Garten Club events, fed Columbus’ 11th precinct police officers at monthly meetings with the Society, and generously sponsors the Welcome Garden in Schiller Park. Each year, over the last weekend in June, Scott and Barcelona help to support the Haus und Garten Tour by hosting a PreTour dinner or by donating food for the Party on the Platz. The Haus und Garten tour is the most important fundraiser of the year and is a fun event for the whole village.
Of his life in the Village, Scott says, “We have everything we need down here — housing, retail and services all spread out. We are an oasis in the center of the city. Every building has its own history and you need to explore to see it all. I love that there are streets and alleys I haven’t been down in awhile that will always reveal new and different things. Our heritage and our history can’t be replicated anywhere because it is so intact. Plus, there are the colorful, wonderful individuals and the perfect mix of personalities that make German Village so unique.”
Scott says that for him, giving back is easy and fun because he is in an area so open and welcoming. He feels blessed by the support of the Village, and the Society feels oh so fortunate to have his level head, keen eye and business acumen working to benefit all we strive to do. Scott has indeed always been here to help, and German Village and the German Village Society are better for it. Without doubt, the neighborhood has been well fed by Scott’s desire to always do more, do better, and do right by those he encounters each and every day, be they residents, visitors or restaurant patrons. “Valuable” hardly feels like praise enough for Scott Heimlich.