Stephan Lehm Wins Marvin S. Gilman Bowl at Delaware Awards

A surprise Marvin S. Gilman Bowl went to Stephan "Steve" Lehm, retired president of VanDemark & Lynch, at the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce's 28th annual Superstars in Business Awards luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 29. The award recognizes more than 50 years of engineering leadership and philanthropy across the First State.

The Chamber also named four 2026 Superstars: the Food Bank of Delaware, Synergy Consultants & Psychotherapy Practice, First Ascent Design and GGA Construction. Each won for business leadership, strong management and community impact.

The ceremony took place at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.

What does the Gilman Bowl mean for Lehm's legacy?

The Gilman Bowl, established in 2008, honors individuals whose professional leadership and community involvement reflect the values of Marvin Gilman, the Delaware homebuilder who led Gilman Development Company. Unlike the annual Superstars awards, the Bowl's recipient stays secret until the presentation — which made Lehm's honor a genuine surprise at the luncheon.

Lehm spent over five decades shaping Delaware through civil engineering at VanDemark & Lynch, a Delaware engineering firm, and through community service that extended well beyond his job description. "From civil engineering to philanthropy, Stephan Lehm's work is everywhere in Delaware, even if most people never see his name on it," said Brett Smith, Marvin S. Gilman's grandson. "He has spent more than 50 years building this state and giving back to it, leading with the kind of quiet generosity my grandfather admired most."

He joins a short list of Bowl recipients: Charles S. McDowell (2025), Lawrence J. DiSabatino (2024), Pamela W. Cornforth (2023) and Timothy U. Boulden (2022).

Who won the 2026 Superstars awards?

Four organizations, each representing a different employee-size category or the nonprofit sector:

• Food Bank of Delaware (nonprofit category). The organization works with more than 600 community partners and distributes millions of pounds of food annually to Delaware families facing food insecurity. It also runs workforce development programs offering job training and paths to economic independence — the combination of direct aid and attacking poverty's root causes earned the award.
• Synergy Consultants & Psychotherapy Practice (1-10 employees). The outpatient mental health practice serves individuals, couples and families dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and major life changes. It also trains future mental health professionals and participates in community wellness outreach.
• First Ascent Design (11-40 employees). The Wilmington digital marketing agency provides branding, website development, digital advertising, SEO and content marketing. Over 11 years in business, it has worked with nearly 300 businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions.
• GGA Construction (41-150 employees). With offices in Middletown and Rehoboth Beach, GGA specializes in commercial construction across Delaware and the surrounding region. Its portfolio spans health care facilities, schools, hotels, restaurants, senior living communities, multifamily housing and recreational facilities.

Which organizations earned Awards of Excellence?

Four more groups received Awards of Excellence for notable performance and leadership:

• Sunday Breakfast Mission (nonprofit) — assisting people experiencing homelessness and other hardships.
• Integrity Nursing LLC (1-10 employees) — health care services.
• Delmarva Central Railroad (11-40 employees) — regional transportation and commerce.
• AKA Advisory (41-150 employees) — professional services.

The spread — health care, rail, consulting, homeless services — maps the breadth of Delaware's small-business economy.

How the program works

The Superstars in Business Awards date to 1998 and honor the legacy of Marvin Gilman, who believed successful businesses should combine sound management with ethical leadership and community involvement. Eligible organizations must have operated for at least three consecutive years and employ 150 or fewer people. The Chamber's Small Business Alliance added the Gilman Bowl in 2008 to recognize individuals.

Applications for the 2027 awards are expected to open in spring 2027, giving Delaware's small businesses and nonprofits — roughly the entire private-sector base outside the state's largest employers — a shot at next year's honors.