Jan. 16. John Kepner, president of Raymer Kepner Funeral Home in Huntersville, is the Lake Norman Chamber’s new Business Person of the Year. He will be recognized at the annual dinner Friday.

Kepner, who purchased the funeral home in 2011 from Johnny Raymer, is the president of the North Mecklenburg Rotary Club and serves on the board of Preferred Funeral Directors International. The Huntersville business has five full time employees and six part-time.

He comes from a long line of funeral directors, dating back more than 165 years in West Virginia.

Kepner attended West Virginia University and West Liberty State College and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.

Kepner will be honored at the 30th anniversary meeting of the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce Friday, Jan. 20 at The Peninsula Club.

The event is sold out.

CPA Jay Lesemann Jr. of Rives & Associates in Huntersville will take over chairman duties from outgoing 2016 chair Callan H. Bryan.