The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 37th Annual Award Luncheon | |
|
The Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce hosted their 37th annual awards luncheon today, November 1, 2023, at the Grandview Room at the North End facility at the ASU Football Stadium. Approximately 200 people attended the celebration which honored 10 area businesses and individuals.
Special guests included a welcome message by Chancellor Sheri Everts, also in attendance were Stephanie Blair, Representative for Senator Thom Tillis; Justin Somers, Regional Director for Senator Ted Budd; NC Senator-District 47 Ralph Hise; and NC Representative-District 93-Ray Pickett. Also supporting the event were Blowing Rock Mayor Charlie Sellers, Interim Town Manager, Kevin Rothrock and the Blowing Rock Town Council members, David Harwood, Doug Matheson, Pete Gherini and Melissa Pickett.
Charles Hardin, President & CEO of the Blowing Rock Chamber led the annual event which was presented by SkyLine/SkyBest and supported by Blue Ridge Energy, ERX, Amorem, Peak Sanitation, Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Carpe Crustum Bakery, Lifestore Bank & Insurance, and Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop. Keith Honeycutt of Peak Sanitation delivered the invocation. Tracy Brown, Executive Director of the BR Tourism Development Authority served as MC.
The nominees and winners of the ten awards included the following:
| | |
|
|
Business of the Year
Presented by SkyLine/SkyBest
The Business of the Year excels in areas of community involvement, business promotion, and teamwork. The Business of the Year should reflect the best of Blowing Rock and surrounding areas, demonstrating high ethical standards and community spirit in accordance with the mission of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce.
Nominees – Town Tavern of Blowing Rock, Mustard Seed Market, Meadowbrook Inn (Savara Hospitality)
Winner – Mustard Seed Market
| | |
|
Jerry Burns Ambassadorial Award
Presented by ERX
The Jerry Burns Ambassadorial award celebrates the enthusiasm of Blowing Rock’s most ardent supporter. This award will be presented to an individual who exemplifies the ambassadorial spirit of the late Jerry Burns.
His biggest accomplishment was to inspire others to think of Blowing Rock as their hometown, to improve it, protect it, and tell others about it.
Nominees- Lonnie Webster, Virginia Powell, Tom O’Brien
Winner – Virginia Powell
| |
| | |
|
|
Business Impact Award
Presented by Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop
This award recognizes an organization or company that has brought new business/infrastructure to the Blowing Rock community which has made a positive impact on the economy.
Nominees- Winkler Organization, Appalachian Theatre, Inn at Ragged Gardens/Best Cellar
Winner – Inn at Ragged Gardens/Best Cellar
| | |
|
Volunteer of the Year
Presented by Peak Sanitation
Chosen by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, this award recognizes an outstanding volunteer who has given time and effort for Chamber events and community projects.
Nominees- Nominated by the BR Chamber
Winner – Will Brinker
| |
| | |
|
|
Young Professionals
of the Year
Presented by LifeStore Bank & Insurance
This award recognizes an individual between the ages of 22 and 39 for their selfless involvement in the community through leadership and dedication.
Nominees- Whitney Brown, Ashli Kemo, PJ Hennessey
Winner (1) – PJ Hennessey
Winner (2)- Ashli Kemo
* It was a tie for this award
| |
| | |
|
|
Outstanding Non-Profit Award
Presented by Spangler Restoration
Presented to a non-profit organization that has demonstrated outstanding support and assistance in serving the High-Country community.
Nominees- High Country Breast Cancer Foundation, Blowing Rock Cares Food Pantry, The Children’s Council
Winner – Blowing Rock Cares Food Pantry
| | |
|
Community Service Award
Presented by Amorem
This award recognizes an individual for service to community and exemplifies positive contributions through volunteerism, philanthropy and community service. Nominees will have made a measurable impact toward the improvement of an issue of importance to our community.
Nominees- Jim & Joyce Zellner, Jeff Smith (Alair Homes of BR), Blowing Rock Women’s Club
Winner – Blowing Rock Women’s Club
| |
| | |
|
|
New Commercial Construction/Renovation Award
Presented by Blue Ridge Mountain Club
This award is given in recognition of the outstanding construction of a new building for a business or commercial renovation of a business that was completed in 2022.
Nominees- UNC Health Appalachian (Watauga Hospital/Schaefer Tower), Speckled Trout Outfitters/Rising on Main
Winner – Speckled Trout Outfitters/Rising on Main
| | |
|
Outstanding Customer Service
Presented by Blue Ridge Energy
This award recognizes a business in the community that has excelled in the area of outstanding customer service.
Nominees- Food Lion, Mountain Vista Window Washing, The Last Straw
Winner – Mountain Vista Window Washing
| |
| |
“This event showcased the very best that Blowing Rock has to offer. The energy in the room was reflective of the level of engagement that we have from the business community. It is always great to see businesses growing and next generation leadership taking the reins of leadership. “ Charles Hardin, President & CEO Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce | |
 |  | |
5% Beverage Charity Chip Program by The Speckled Trout Outfitters
For every purchased beverage - Beer, Wine, Soda, etc each guest will receive a Charity Token that they can place in pre-identified Charity Jars. Each token is worth 5% of the beverage they purchase.
Charity Jars will be from their current calendar year’s chosen Charity list, plus one rotating guest charity.
Guest will receive a Charity Token at the time of purchase, which can be placed in the Charity Jar of their Choice.
There will be four (4) Charities featured each month, each having their own charity jar. Three (3) of the Jars will be from pre-identified Charities in the current calendar year and one (1) guest charity. They will rotate all four (4) jars/charities each month.
Within 15 days following each calendar month, the tokens will be tallied, and donations will be dispersed. Allocations will be based on the total revenue from beverages sold that month and pro-rated based on the number of Charity Chips in each Jar.
All Charities must be 501(c)(3) and meet their Charity Guidelines.
For More Information about their Charities & their Charity Form please visit:
https://www.thespeckledtroutoutfitters.com/charity
|  | |
It’s time to update our Member to Member
Discount Card program for 2024!
If you would like to include your service or business with
the many members who currently offer savings to other Blowing Rock Chamber members, then now is the time to jump on board!
This program was put in place as a way to generate
business for local members during the off season and has proven successful year after year.
Please contact Cathy Barker at the Chamber via email (Cathy@blowingrock.com) or call 828-295-7851 to be included. Deadline for inclusion is November 15, 2023.
|  | |
2024 Business After Hours
Now is the time to submit an application to host a BAH event for 2024. These events are very popular so apply now to reserve a date that works best for you.
The purpose of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours is to provide networking opportunities for our members, giving business owners a chance to meet one another and to discuss issues relevant to their businesses and the community. The Chamber strongly encourages member-to-member business whenever possible, making these events a critical part of keeping in contact with other members.
Hosting a Business After Hours gives you the chance to showcase your business/organization to the business community. These events are typically scheduled for the 3rd Tuesday of each month, March through November (except July). Hours are 5:30pm – 7:00pm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Application
If you are interested in hosting a Business After Hours in 2024, contact Cathy Barker at the Chamber at Cathy@BlowingRock.com or call 828-295-7851.
The First Word is Business!
| |
|
Welcome New Members!
Business Members
| |
|
|
Ai Apparel Group, Inc.
Ai Apparel Group boast a diverse range of products and services that empower businesses and organizations to elevate their brand identity to new heights. Whether it is custom-designed apparel, promotional products, or sophisticated branding solutions, Ai Apparel’s innovate offerings ensure that each client’s message stands out and resonates with their target audience.
833.424.4327
www.aiapparelgroup.com
| | | |
|
|
Come Back Shack
There are a lot of things that make Come Back Shack different! We are not a chain or a franchise. We are a family owned and operated business in Boone, NC (and also in the low country of South Carolina). Our food is so fresh, we don't have freezers. We serve hand-cut fries from real Idaho potatoes (really hard work for us - really awesome fries for you!) Our regular steak burgers are fresh-never-frozen beef blended from chuck, round and sirloin. Our Local Burger is made with grass-fed beef from a local farm. Our chicken is all-natural with no antibiotics which we marinate and hand-bread. We have hand spun shakes with ice cream that comes from a local dairy farm here in the High Country. We work hard to use simple ingredients with words you can pronounce. And everyday we make fresh in-house: Come Back Sauce, cole slaw, pickles, ranch dressing, pimiento cheese, fried green
tomatoes...and more!
It's a lot of words that we sum up with the little phrase
| | | | |
|
|
More events and updates can be found on our online calendar.
To submit your news to our weekly newsletter, email Cathy@BlowingRock.com by Wednesday.
Our newsletter reaches over 1,100 member contacts each Thursday!
| | |
|
Keep an eye on your inbox for our new
MEMBER HAPPENINGS newsletter.
Every Tuesday we will let you know what our
members are up to.
| |
US House Representative
Virginia Foxx
| |
NC House Representative
Ray Pickett
| |
|
NC Senator
Ralph Hise
Ralph.Hise@ncleg.net
| |
The articles linked in our newsletter come from many sources and are provided for informational purposes only. We do not endorse information or opinions appearing in the various articles linked in our newsletter. The articles selected are not sponsored or endorsed and we assume no responsibility for the accuracy of information contained in articles linked in our newsletter. Copyright for linked articles belongs to the linked source. | | | | |
