PORT ANGELES – The Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists to be honored at the 3rd Annual Port Angeles Community Awards Gala, recognizing the community’s most outstanding individuals and organizations in 2019.
Over 120 nominations were received this year, and the top three finalists in each category were selected by a panel of judges from right here in our community.
The finalists in each category are as follows:
Emerging Business of the Year
Studio360
Diehls Do It All
Heart & Passion Films
Young Leader of the Year
Lacey Fry
Addie Holland
Ashley Liberty
Organization of the Year
Lincoln Park BMX
PA Fine Arts Center
PA Food Bank
Educator of the Year
Doug Gailey
Gary Pringle
Krista Winn
Business of the Year
Angeles Electric
First Federal
Swains
Citizen of the Year
John Brewer
Christine Loewe
Norma Turner
All finalists will be celebrated during the Awards Gala at Vern Burton Center on January 25, and Chamber Director Marc Abshire says they’re something a little different to this year’s event.
“The other thing that’s important I think is that these are not Chamber of Commerce Awards. These are Community Awards, and we work really hard to try to keep it that way. The judges come from the community. They don’t come from, you know, my Board of Directors or something like that. What we’re doing this year that’s a little different is, we’re adding a Chamber Award to the Gala. So that should help make a distinction between what’s a Chamber Award and what’s a Community Award. So the Chamber Awards, there will be two of those. They are selected by the Chamber, and they’re what we call Legacy Awards. There’ll be an Individual Legacy Award and an Organizational Legacy Award, and those will be presented by the Chamber of Commerce.”
Tickets to the Gala event are now available for purchase online at: www.ChamberSignUps.com.
Judges for this year’s community awards program were: Betsy Mathews, Airport Garden Center; Casi Fors, Fors Financial; Jim Wiedman, Lakeside Industries; Mike LaGrange, Safeway; Carol Sinton, PA Revitalize; and Marie Moran, Port Angeles Visitor Center.
The Port Angeles Community Awards Gala “black tie” event will include a plated dinner, provided by a “Taste of Port Angeles,” with entrées, appetizers, sides, and dessert provided by popular restaurants around Port Angeles. Tickets are $70 per person.