WOW! What a party!!
The stars came out to shine on Friday night at the Kent County Chamber of Commerce 42nd Annual Excellence in Business Awards Gala.
More than one third of our membership turned out at the newly renovated Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre to celebrate our award winners for 2011; all the while dining on a splendid array of epicurean delights provided by The Imperial Hotel and listening to the strains of quiet jazz provided by Joe Holt on keyboard and Mike Buccino on upright base.
The setting in the theatre was beautiful with an elegant black and gold theme. The evening's fare of classic cuisine was delectable. And the mood of the crowd was nothing short of festive!
We are pleased to announce the following winners of the
Kent County Chamber of Commerce
2011 Excellence in Business Awards
~ ~ ~
K&L Services
2011 Environmental Awareness Award
Sabine Harvey
2011 Community Service Award
Against the Grain - A Bread Company
2011 New Business of the Year
Chesapeake CNC Manufacturing
2011 Outstanding Business of the Year
ILSbio
2011 Outstanding Business of the Year
Betsy McCown
Echo Hill Outdoor School
2011 Business Leader of the Year
~ ~ ~
(Please note that naming two businesses as Outstanding Business of the Year is not a typo. This year there was a tie for this category, which speaks volumes about the quality of our business community here in Kent County.)
Congratulations to all of our Award Winners! The effort you have put into your businesses to make them the hallmarks of commerce they are is evident. You set a wonderful example and a high standard for everyone. We applaud each of you!
In addition to recognizing our award winners, I don't want to miss the opportunity to acknowledge those businesses and individuals who were instrumental in making this year's Award Gala such a success.
CNB - Our gracious and generous Sponsor for this year's event
The Garfield Center for the Arts at The Prince Theatre - Lucia Foster, Executive Director and Sam Howell, Theatre Manager, for providing such a wonderful venue
The Imperial Hotel - Joe Dolce and Chef Bernie for providing the evening's fabulous fare
Eastern Shore Tents and Events - Rebecca Blizzard and Jonathan Mason for providing tables and linens
East Coast Storage - Bob & Inki Greenwald for providing the koozie favors for all our guests
Joe Holt & Mike Buccino for providing such great jazz
Doris Winter & Cabot Lodge - our volunteers who welcomed all of our guests for the evening
And last, but not least, I want to thank all of our members and guests who joined us to celebrate and honor the "best of our best" and who helped make the evening such a grand success.
Thank you to all of you and again, congratulations to all of our Award Winners!!
One last note, I want to extend a warm welcome to our Board Member, David Bowman of PNC Bank who will be filling the position of Vice President for the Chamber for 2012. We know you will do a tremendous job for the Chamber in this capacity David.
Loretta
Loretta M. Lodge
Executive Director