Chamber Minute January 29th
On Saturday, January 27th The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards banquet. We want to thank everyone who was in attendance to see the 2023 Award Winners be honored. It was a packed house as the event began, The Community Award was given first for bringing togetherness, to North Bend Main Street, Coos Bay Downtown Association, The Community Coalition of Empire, and the Charleston Merchants Association. The Prefontaine Award was given to a North Bend High School student Alex Garcia Silver. Chamber Member of the Year was presented to Tracy Pierce from North West Natural for all her efforts on multiple committees. The President’s Award this year was presented by Past President Stacy Dewater to the hiring committee for their work finding and hiring their new Executive Director Rosey Thomas. The hiring committee had 6 members awarded, Stephanie Kilmer of Southwest Regional Airport, Rick Osborn of Jackson-Osborn Insurance, Allison Richards of the CB NB Charleston Visitor and Convention Bureau, Allan Ledesma of Epuerto, Steve Nye from Engles Furniture and Tim Novotny from the Coquille Indian Tribe. Citizen of the Year Nominees for 2023 were Jay Farr, Bob More, Heidi Sauce, Rick Osborn, Terry Cox, Dr Benjamin K Huff, Steve Cannon, and Mckay Jensen. The Citizen of the Year winner was Bob More for his work with literacy and housing. The Business of the Year nominees were Thrifty Sisters in North Bend, North Bend Lanes/Back Alley Pub & Grill, Honda World in Coos Bay, and South Coast Family Dentistry. The award was given to North Bend Lanes Back Alley Pub & Grill, Mark Mattecheck and his team have grown their business and reach to students by creating a bowling program for North Bend and Marshfield High School and promoted togetherness by bringing outdoor events with the expansion of their outdoor spaces, and hosting Chamber events, Redneck wine tasting, Comedy Nights and more. We want to extend our Congratulations to all these nominees and award winners! Your dedication to our area and your Chamber made 2023 a great year for us all. Save the Date: Next Year’s awards banquet will be on January 25, 2025.
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