Good Evening, It is great to have such a wonderful turnout for the 97th year, giving us the opportunity to showcase Madison at at The Mill and their new restaurant Spoon & Spindle.
Thanks to Madison at the Mill and Robert & Shalese Higginbotham, for the perfect venue.
Thank you to the Banquet Committee: Evelyn Pritchett Jackson, Denise Caswell, Barbara Parks, Erin Dean, Rita Carrol, Crystal Dudley, Dana Amos, Dee Dee Ingram, and Yvette Ruiz. Thank you for your hard work with this banquet.
At this time, I’d like to recognize:
-County Board of Supervisors
Jim Crozier, Chair
Jim White, Supervisor
Lee Frame, Supervisor
Keith Marshall, Supervisor
-County School Board members
Mike Jones, Chair
Sherrie Page
Jim Hopkins
Dr. Cecil Snead, Superintendent OCPS
TOWN OF ORANGE
Martha Roby, Mayor
Tony Bosford, Council Member
Greg Woods, Town Manager
TOWN OF GORDONSVILLE
Robert Coiner, Mayor
Debbie Kendell, Town Manager
Thank you for all you do for Orange County Businesses.
Introduce Board of Directors who are here with us tonight:
Judy Cooper, Vice President, Welcome Home Financial Partners
Sam Kessler, Treasurer, Community Bank of the Chesapeake
John Licata, The Licata Group
Dana Amos -Realtor
Amy Henecke – Germanna Community College
Evelyn Pritchett Jackson – Lakeside Title & Escrow
Ex Officio:
Ted Voorhees – Orange County Administrator
Rose Deal, OC Economic Development Director
Lori Landes-Carter – OC Tourism Director
Greg Woods, Manager, Town of Orange
Debbie Kendell, Manager, Town of Gordonsville
Dr. Cecil Snead, Superintendent OCPS
Charlotte Cole, LOVEOrangeVirginia
Christy Moriarty, James Madison’s Montpelier
Doug Harris, Orange County Farm Bureau
Thank you all for your volunteer time you dedicate to the Chamber.
President remarks:
It is my honor to serve as President of your Chamber of Commerce. Doing Business in Orange is a special thing. When I look out at the crowd, I see a group of people who genuinely care about our community.
This year the Chamber celebrates its 97th anniversary. The Orange County Chamber of Commerce was organized in 1924 to advance the civic, commercial, industrial, and agricultural interests of the County of Orange. Today, we continue to promote the general welfare and the prosperity of our County by providing a forum for the business community to address those issues that affect each of us in our businesses. As we look to the year ahead, the Chamber remains focused on critical issues for our community, and we’ll continue the many things that are working well for the Chamber, and we’ll also be looking at new areas which are key to moving our community forward.
The Business Person of the Year is Craig Hartman. Award sponsored by the Orange Business Exchange
Pictured Left - Tom Fish and Craig Hartman
Since 1981, The Chamber has been honoring those who have proactively participated in local business, civic, youth, or other programs. They have made sound contributions to the business community and maintain an outstanding reputation.
Craig has put Gordonsville on the map by numerous visitors who travel to Gordonsville to visit the BBQ Exchange and there’s no doubt his new venture, Champion Ice House, will have the same following for years to come. Craig’s handling of the pandemic was heroic as many restaurants shut their doors, Craig quickly went into action to find creative ways to stay open and keep his employees receiving a pay check.
Let Craig say thanks!
The Agri-Business of the Year is Honah Lee Vineyard. Award sponsored by Orange County Farm Bureau
Pictured Left - Doug Harris, Brandy & Eric Hopwood.
The Agri-Business Award is presented to an Ag-based business that has actively participated in local agriculture, farm, business, or related civic organizations. The recipient is well regarded by their peers in this field and have made significant contributions in the Ag Industry.
Honah Lee Vineyard is a small family farm that allows you to experience award winning wines by offering an amazing experience whether you're looking for a tour, wine tasting, or planning on holding your wedding or event. Honah Lee Vineyard offers a stunning view, savory wines, and homemade goodies to sample from.
The Susie Miller Community Service Award winner is Perry Marshman. Award sponsored by Fulton Mortgage Company
Pictured Left - Rob Racer and Perry Marshman
The Suzie Miller Service Community Service Award represents a member of the community that provides positive contributions to support in Orange County with an emphasis on volunteering.
Perry has participated in many non-profits to help our community in multiple ways. Since 1992, Perry has been involved with the Orange County Youth Commission, Orange County March of Dimes, Rebuild Together, Habitat for Humanity, Board Member of Love Outreach and assists James Madison Museum of Orange County Heritage.
The John L. Stanley Award for Excellence winner is Jessica Cifizzari. Award sponsored by UVA Community Credit Union.
Pictured Left - Paul Klinger, Bonnie Full, Jessica Cifizzari and Kon Chanthyasak.
Since, its inception in 1986, the John L. Stanley Award for Excellence honors the memory of John L. Stanley, a two-time president of our Chamber. The award is given to a Chamber Member who distinguishes himself in service to Orange County Chamber of Commerce. They excel in promotion of the Chamber and directly contribute to a sound and healthy business climate in Orange County, and they make traceable contributions to the county’s well-being through business and public relations.
Jessica lives in Orange County, helped restart the Kiwanis Club. Jessica is eager to assist with all Chamber events to include the Orange Street Festival and is a Fallapalooza sponsor.
She has suggested outside of the box ideas for the James Madison Museum of Orange County Heritage, donating time and talents and in-kind items, for special events and educational opportunities. She began offering Quilling Workshops and Themed Teas at her suggestion and she organized it all, rethinking memberships in favor of a donation structure and changing our annual meeting to a Donor Appreciation social event. She's been networking with other entities in Orange County while seeking to collaborate with events.
The William Carrington Business & Education Partnership Award winners are Earthquest Inc. and Orange County Parks & Recreation. Award Sponsored by Mason Insurance Agency.
Pictured Left - Elizabeth Rand, Robert Haynes, Chuck Mason, Tim Moubray and Jason Woods.
In 1994 the Chamber expanded its involvement with our educational partners. We felt that expanded interaction between the business community and our educational facilities was an important step in preparing our youth to take their future places in our community. Through our Business & Education Alliance we set up a format for enhancing partnering programs. From this we developed an award which would be given to both parties of the partnership. A key person who spearheaded this project was board member Bill Carrington, a former headmaster of Grymes Memorial School. In his memory we created the Business and Education Partnership award to commemorate his efforts.
The 2021 William Carrington Business & Education Partnership Award goes to Earthquest Inc. and Orange County Parks & Recreation.
Earthquest Inc. and the Orange County Parks and Recreation worked together to start a Walk with a Hawk program by bringing one of their amazing birds of prey to take a walk. In this program, participants take a walk at Booster Park while an Earthquest educator teaches about hawks and what makes them so special. This partnership emphasizes Orange County Parks & Recreation working with local non-profits to promote educational nature programs.