Cincinnati, Ohio (03/17/2021) — Rob Portman, United States Senator from Ohio, was the Guest Speaker during the 2021 Virtual Good Scout Award Luncheon hosted by the Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America held on Thursday, March 11, 2021. The master of ceremonies for the luncheon was former WCPO Anchor and current co-host of Cincy Lifestyle, Clyde Gray.

Each year, the Good Scout Award is presented at this event to a business or individual who has made a lasting impact in our community over the years. This year, the Dan Beard Council honored Stephen Hightower, President and CEO of Hightowers Petroleum Co. Stephen leads a business enterprise consisting of five national and international businesses, all providing energy solutions. He grew his Ohio-based wholesale fuel supply company into an International energy solutions enterprise covering the entire energy value chain, from petroleum supply to power production. The Dan Beard Council congratulates Stephen on receiving this award and special thanks to him for his dedication and impact he has made in our community.

The Good Scout Award Luncheon Guest Speaker, Senator Rob Portman, was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and still resides here today with his family. Rob, an alumnus of Scouting and whose father is an Eagle Scout, shared a heartwarming story about one of their camping adventures in Montana. He discussed being grateful for the impact of Scouts on our Country for preparing our youth in a variety of fields such as engineering, medicine, education, military, and law, and for the values that the leaders instill on our troops such as honesty, hard work, loyalty, and comradery. Thank you to Senator Portman for sharing your Scouting story and for supporting local Scouting.

Special thanks to our presenting sponsors Hightowers Petroleum Co., Ameritas, and Western & Southern Financial Group as well as our additional sponsors. The Dan Beard Council would also like to thank Nick Lachey and Johnny Bench who dropped in to offer a few words of encouragement. In addition, the Dan Beard Council sends their gratitude to all of our youth Scout speakers. Andy Deel, youth speaker from Troop 750, shared his Scouting experiences and his excitement for National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), which teaches leadership skills to youth in an outdoor setting. We also heard from Renee Bauer–Dan Beard Council’s first female in the Inaugural Class of Female Eagle Scouts who shared her Eagle Scout project with us as well as her Scouting experiences as she worked toward the rank of Eagle Scout.

The Good Scout Award Luncheon, one of Greater Cincinnati’s largest annual fundraising events, is attended on average by over 1,200 leaders from major companies in our community who gather to support local Scouting programs in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

To view a playback of this dynamic event, visit www.danbeard.org/gsal.