AUGUST 13, 2009 ISSUE
Boone Chamber Celebrates 60 Years With Annual Luncheon
Susan Jones, Norman Cheek, Chetola Resort, John Winkler Among Award Winners
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce reached another milestone last Friday, August 7. Not only did the organization that now supports more than 900 local businesses host its Annual Meeting to a packed house of area movers and shakers, it also celebrated its 60th anniversary.
The chamber’s milestone can be measured by its members, and during the meeting, chamber staff bestowed awards on multiple Boone business leaders within its ranks, highlighting their contributions to the local community and commerce.
Josh Cash of Factory Housing, Mark and Missy Harrill of Echota and Vince, Sharon and Mike Hankerd of Mast General Store received architectural awards of merit for development; Susan Jones took home the Ben Suttle Special Services Award; Norman Cheek was posthumously honored with the Wade Brown Community Recognition Award; Kent Tarbutton and Chetola Resort received the Sue Wilmoth Award for Tourism Development; and John Winkler was honored with the Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development. Incoming Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee Chair George Brudzinski also honored outgoing chair Scott Eggers during the meeting with a description of Egger’s accomplishments and a gift of a Chamber Chair, which is given to all past chairs of the chamber executive committee.
Awards
Currently, more than 850 college students lease apartments from the Winkler Organization—that’s just one example of why John Winkler received the Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development. A Boone native and 1966 Watauga High School graduate, Winkler has become a local magnate concerning retail properties and student/apartment housing. Examples of his projects include APP Real Estate, Abbey Carpet & Flooring, Char Restaurant, Boone Hall, Wilcox Emporium, King Street Ventures, Council Oaks subdivision, Kellwood subdivision and 35 apartment complexes. As an active member of the community, Winkler also supports many local organizations, including Appalachian Christian School, Baptist Children’s Home, Watauga Medical Center, Hope Pregnancy Resource Center, Relay for Life, ASU and Hebron Colony. Last year’s Alfred Adams Award winner Phil Templeton presented Winkler with the award.
The 2008 winner of the Sue Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism, Wade Wilmoth, presented the 2009 award to Chetola Resort Owner Kent Tarbutton during the meeting. Tarbutton is credited with spending roughly $250,000 per year in tourism promotion. He and his staff are actively involved with local boards and tourist-related initiatives, such as the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority, Hospitality House, High Country Host and multiple chambers. They have also won multiple awards, including the 2009 Blue Ribbon Award for Small Business of the Year from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and made significant charitable contributions to various regional and national nonprofit agencies.
Jerry Moretz, winner of the 2008 Wade Brown Award for Community Recognition, honored the family of the late Norman Cheek with the 2009 award during the meeting. Cheek, who passed away in May, is remembered for his unwavering support of local troops overseas, for his help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and for his work at home to protect area youth through Project Graduation. Known as the “Little Dealer With the Big Heart,” Cheek was honored on the Congressional floor with a recognition of “Norman Cheek Day” on June 15, 2006. Members of Cheek’s family—Donna Bare, Nathan Cheek and Pam Davis—accepted the award in honor of Cheek.
Nick Friedman, winner of the 2008 Ben Suttle Special Services Award, presented the 2009 award to Susan Jones. In addition to her role as member of the chamber’s education committee, Jones was recognized for her position on the board of the Watauga Education Foundation, for her work with Blue Ridge Electric to send care packages to troops in Iraq, for her position as a certified Red Cross health and safety instructor, for her contributions to her church and for her civic club involvement.
Brent Graybeal presented the 2009 Architectural Awards of Merit during the meeting.
“We evaluate properties based on architecture, landscaping, road design, lot layout, finish work, environmental integration, maintenance of existing vegetation and overall design—a pretty tough set of standards,” said Graybeal.
The 2009 judging panel consisted of landscaper Teresa Odzimer, architect Hunter Coffey and past recipient Dr. Richard Furman.
Josh Cash of Factory Housing of Boone was honored with an award for his excellence in small commercial construction; Mark and Missy Harrill of Echota were honored with an award for the architectural flow of their development’s clubhouse; and Vince, Sharon and Mike Hankerd were honored with an award for preserving the feel of 1881 concerning work on the original Mast General Store.
New Directors
At the beginning of the Annual Meeting, Boone Area Chamber of Commerce President Dan Meyer announced the names of newly elected board members for 2009-10. The new directors were officially sworn in during the event.
Members of the 2009-10 Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee are: Chair George Brudzinski, Immediate Past Chair Scott Eggers, Treasurer Mike Hall, John Brubaker, Lorin Baumhover, Harry Davis, Joedy Eller, Ted Henry, Michael Maybee, Jerry Moretz, Jeff Parlier, Nancy Riegel, Omer Tomlinson, Jason Triplett and Chris Turner.
Members of the 2009-10 Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are: Tom Adams, Jonathan Allen, Gillian Baker, Tim Baxter, Ron Branch, Melanie Bullard, Jake Chaney, Loretta Clawson, Teresa Cody, Dayton Cole, Jeannine Underdown Collins, Charlie Fox, Joe Furman, Mac Forehand, Marcia Green, Marty Hemric, Ron Hester, Susan Jones, Brent Keith, Tom Lanier, Daniel Minton, Winston Petrey, Sandra Phillips, Jason Reagan, Chad Smith, Don Watson and Bryan Willis.
AF Bank, Appalachian Brian Estates, Chetola Resort, Mast General Store, High Country Bank, BB&T, SkyLine/SkyBest, ASU, First Citizens Bank, Allen Wealth Management, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, Blue Ridge Electric, Wachovia and Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living are 2009-10 Program Partners for the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce.
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