Six Clark County business owners and leaders were recognized for their dedication and service to the community this past year as the Greater Vancouver Chamber (GVC) announced the 2021 Business and Leadership Awards’ recipients in a virtual ceremony presented by the Port of Vancouver USA.
The John S. McKibbin Leadership Legacy Award went to the president of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, Jennifer Rhoads. She has worked in a variety of positions in the financial sector leading up to her focus on philanthropy and efforts in interrupting poverty in the region while at the community foundation, according to a news release. The award recognizes an individual each year who demonstrates a positive influence across different sectors of the community.
The Community Champion Award’s recipient was Horenstein Law Group, who displayed a commitment to the region through the COVID-19 pandemic, offering their expertise and guidance to business owners as they navigated their way through the last year and a half, the release stated.
The Small Business Award went to Delta Direct Care, a formerly Battle Ground-based business, which the chamber said continuously seeks to help companies and the community. In the past year, the business stepped up to partner with local community members and nonprofits to provide vaccine pop-up clinics.
The 2021 Statesperson Award was given to the Clark County Public Health Director and county health officer Alan Melnick. During the pandemic, Melnick advocated for the health and safety of the people of Clark County and remained “committed to service, communication and equanimity,” the chamber said.
The chamber also recognized Sprout Partners as the Startup to Watch. The award goes to businesses that are in their first five years of existence and recognizes one that is “emblematic of tenacity, vision and strong business practices,” according to the chamber.
LSW Architects received the Large Business of the Year award from the chamber for creating a sustainable community through creative solutions and design. The award goes to an organization with more than 25 employees that is growing in market share and sales, creating jobs “and giving back in a way that helps make the community thrive,” the chamber said.
“These six organizations and individuals represent the fabric of our business community in Southwest Washington,” GVC President and CEO John McDonagh said in the announcement. “It is an honor for the Greater Vancouver Chamber to be able to shine a light on these six so everyone has the opportunity to understand it takes us all to create our community.”
In honor of the Tokyo Olympics, this year’s awards ceremony featured former U.S. Olympian Johnny Quinn as emcee and keynote speaker, who presented a “Think like an Olympian” speech, which covered an Olympian’s perspective on perseverance and how to overcome adversity, the release stated.
A recording of the speech is available at youtu.be/VaJ8RPVT4vo.
GVC also installed its 2021-2022 officers at the ceremony. Officers and the executive board for the year will be Chair Tamara Fuller of Capacity Commercial, Chair-elect John Dombroski of Chick-fil-A Cascade Park, Vice Chair Julianna Marler of Port of Vancouver USA, Secretary and Treasurer Lisa Goecke of Perkins and Co., and Immediate Past Chair Kevin Getch of Webfor.
The event was streamed live on Facebook at no cost to the chamber thanks to event sponsors, the release stated. More information about the awards and sponsorship opportunities is available by emailing YourChamber@VancouverUSA.com or by going online to VancouverUSA.com/Annual-Events.
