The Chamber Banquet Celebrates Excellence in 2021 and Opportunities in 2022, April 19

BACC release – All enjoyed a great evening this past Saturday at the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet—A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats! Wonderful food, entertainment featuring our friends at LTOB & David Aakre, and a variety of awards and recognitions which truly make this a community celebration. Citizen of the year is an honor given to a member of our community who, by consistently giving of their time, energy and resources, has made Oregon’s Bay Area a better place to live. For 2021 that award was given to Jamar Ruff. Jamar is the definition of community service. He is involved in many organizations serving a variety of local needs. He serves as a homeless advocate, a networker and community connector, a youth mentor and so much more. Jamar was the facilitator for a partnership with the Coos Bay Library to host a cooking class that not only provides great cooking recipes where people learned cooking tips, but also made a connection to community in a time when people are experiencing a lot of isolation. If there is an community event you can count on Jamar to be there.  The Business of the Year award is given to a business that has exhibited excellence in products and customer service; contributed time, manpower and resources to community improvement projects; and excelled in employee relations and training. This year’s recipient has an international team which develops cyberspace use to effectively meets the needs of business , organizations and independent operations. Beyond business, they have a strong dedication to community aiding non-profits in their effective online communications. Also they have a strong commitment to the area’s youth, starting a wide variety of sports programs and constructing facilities for them. The 2021 award went to Epuerto, honoring their excellence in business and strong commitment to the community and its youth. Chamber Member of the Year is given to that member, who through their efforts, has carried us to a new level of community service and impact. In 2021 we recognized Brandy Thompson. Brandy has served in many roles within the Chamber operations. Her most outstanding achievements and long-term dedication for many years has been to the Chamber’s premier program Leadership Coos. While Brandy has served as chair from 2020 to present, she met the COVID challenge with outside the box thinking, focused enthusiasm and an unwillingness to accept anything but success. The result has been another seamless excellent Leadership Coos class. Coos Health & Wellness was given the 2021 Community Award to honor their work in the forefront of our area’s response to the pandemic over the last two years. They provided solid and continuous information to us on every aspect of the COVID issue. They freely gave resources of masks, test kits, thermometers and more, to anyone who needed them. Most importantly was their calm and steady demeanor to steer us with confidence to steer us with confidence though this troubling pandemic. The President’s Award is, most often, given to that individual who provided outstanding support to the President in making their year successful. For 2021 it was awarded to Amy Bailey and the Mill Casino Hotel. Amy was the spark plug behind ensuring events like the Mother’s Day celebration, golf tournament and more came off successfully. Additionally, Kevin Bogatin, North Bend Superintendent of Schools, was recognized as Educator of the Year. What a great evening! See you at next year’s Banquet on the last Saturday of January. The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit, professional business organization made up of the Coos Bay, North Bend, and Charleston communities. The Chamber works for a healthy economic climate of good jobs, more customers and efficient government. The Chamber’s strength lies in the number and diversity of its membership. With over 530 members strong representing every aspect of this area’s economy, we use their vast collective experiences and energy to make a positive difference in our community.