Cami Thur is the 2017 Woodland Chamber of Commerce Employee of the Year.
Woodland True Value Co-Owner Mike Golik accepts the 2017 Woodland Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award on behalf of his business.
Vivian Mosby was awarded the 2017 Woodland Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.
The Woodland Chamber of Commerce announced its 2017 awards during its annual chamber banquet Jan. 20.
The annual dinner was hosted at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver with Woodland High School Principal John Shoup as Master of Ceremonies. The event recognized two individuals and one business for their efforts in the Woodland community in the past year.
Employee of the Year: Cami Thur of the Lucky 21 Casino and Oak Tree Restaurant
Thur started with Lucky 21 Casino and Oak Tree Restaurant in 2014 and became an important fixture to the Chamber soon after, according to a statement by Stephanie Smith, the 2016 employee of the year who presented the award. Thur’s employer described her as “a very hard worker and very dependable.”
“She is a team player and will do anything to get the job done, even if it's not a part of her job description,” according to a statement from the business, adding that when something was an issue Thur would calmly talk through whatever problems she saw.
“Most of all, her guest services are amazing and always puts the guest first,” the statement read. “She is one of those people that never has a bad day. She is also someone who will drop what she is doing to help another team member, and still complete her tasks with no complaint.”
Smith’s statement read that Thur would be “truly missed” by the business, its customers and the chamber as she will be furthering her education in cosmetology.
Business of the Year: Woodland True Value
Woodland True Value has been a part of the Woodland community since 1976 and is still locally owned and operated as a family business, according to a statement from Woodland Mayor Will Finn who presented the award. The business was noted for going above and beyond, giving one example as the 1996 flood, where the business provided tools and supplies at cost to help residents recover after the biggest natural disaster the community had faced in half a century.
Finn’s statement also touched on other times True Value helped out, including assisting with Lovestreet Playhouse’s race to finish remodeling before opening night. The business has also been instrumental in supporting Woodland’s concert series, Hot Summer Nights in the Plaza.
Woodland True Value has also helped in preserving the city’s history, Finn said, preserving and displaying local found artifacts, tools, and pictures of the area, items on display daily at the storefront as a sort of free, public mini-museum.
Finn said he has first-hand experience working with the knowledgeable employees at the business, having used their help on his own projects at home.
“I have been known on occasion to be completely unprepared with a small home repair,” Finn said. “This business has made me look like a hero after being knee deep in a project I had no business doing alone.”
“They are not only an anchor in our historic downtown core, they are unknowingly keeping hope alive to other businesses around them, that one day, all the empty buildings will be full, and a bustling downtown will once again reemerge,“ Finn said.
Citizen of the Year: Vivian Mosby
Mosby was touted as a “highly visible” mainstay in the community by Jim Bays, the 2016 Citizen of the Year winner and presenter of Mosby’s award, stepping up and into many roles and organizations throughout the city.
Bays’ statement recounted how Mosby, now retired from the insurance industry, purchased her original business in 1993, merging with another business based in Longview in 1999. Her leadership position resume includes posts with the Woodland Grange, Downtown Woodland Revitalization, the Big Idea Board and a full decade chairing Hot Summer Nights at the Plaza, Bays stated, and has served on the chamber board for 25 years.
“After selling her business and retiring, her dedication to the community has remained vigorous,” Bays said, adding that recently Mosby took on the role of an elected official for the cemetery district.
“Most notable is Ms. Mosby’s willingness to always help out for a community cause even at a moment’s notice,” Bays said. “Anything that will benefit the community — Ms. Mosby drops what she is doing to help. As a native New Yorker who adopted Woodland as her home in 1991 she has done so wholeheartedly, giving more to us then receiving in return.”
