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Elkins-Randolph County Chamber hosts virtual awards ceremony

Submitted photo The Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce honored local businesses during its annual awards this week. The Business of the Year Award was presented to S&T’s Bees. From left are Chamber Board Member Sue Pifer; Lisa Wood, Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce executive director; S&T’s Bees owner Stephanie Bender; and Chamber Secretary Wendy Morgan. The award was sponsored by The Inter-Mountain. For more information on the annual awards turn to Page B1.

ELKINS — The Elkins-Randolph County Chamber hosted their Annual Awards this year virtually. The event, held Tuesday and sponsored by FirstEnergy, was a combination of live-feed with speakers and short video clips. With the theme “Celebrating Our COVID-19 Heroes,” the award presentations included their usual business-themed awards mixed with five special awards for individuals, businesses, and organizations who stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the welcome, Lisa Wood, Chamber executive director, told the virtual attendees, “2020 was a year like nothing we’ve ever known. But through it all, we persevered. Our businesses kept doing business. Our organizations kept organizing. Our friends and neighbors in Randolph County pulled together and kept things going. We masked up, social distanced, and learned things we never knew we needed to know. When I stood on the Phil Gainer Community Center stage last year, welcoming you to our Vibrant Celebration, I didn’t know what a Zoom meeting was. Now, here we are ‘Zooming’ together.”

It took a team of volunteers to pull off the virtual event. Registrants received a gift bag hand-delivered to them on Monday or Tuesday. The gift bag included items from the sponsors and a special dessert from Great Harvest Bakery & Cafe. Eric Armstrong of D&E produced the live event on the stage of Harper McNeely Auditorium in the Myles Center for the Arts on the campus of Davis & Elkins College. Chamber Board member Shane Jones created most of the videos shared during the virtual event. Network Committee members Wendy Morgan and Madalyn Humphrey helped manage the Zoom participants and chat session for the 30-minute Zoom session. Additional committee members, Anne Beardslee, Adriana Channell, Kathy Leombruno, Sue Pifer, and Kathy Vance worked for over two months to make the event a success.

The day before the event, Wood, along with Chamber Board President Jonathan Kyle and emcee Scott Goddard presented the awards “Publisher’s Clearing House” style by surprising each recipient at their place of business. The presentations included their awards — custom created and designed by committee member Kris Wilmoth at The Wood Tech Center — plus a sponsor banner and bouquet of balloons.

On stage during the virtual event, Kyle shared that even through a pandemic, “(The Chamber) continued to be a voice for business. We continued to collaborate with other groups and organizations to keep the focus on building a vibrant community. 2020 didn’t stop our initiative, but it did change things. The Chamber learned to adapt. Our members learned to adapt. Our community adapted.”

The Tom Williams Award of Distinction went to June Myles. Myles, left, and Lisa Wood are shown via a Zoom chat. The award was sponsored by the Tom Williams Family.

Together at the conclusion, the trio on stage told the participants the Chamber hopes next year to hold a big celebration “in person!” To watch the program in its entirety, go to the Chamber’s homepage at erccc.com. The video is listed under IN THE NEWS — Annual Awards.

The Young Leader of the Year Award went to Lucy Godwin. From left, Scott Goddard, emcee; Paul Zickefoose, Beverly Elementary School principal; Jonathan Kyle, Elkins-Randolph County Chamber Board President; Godwin and Lisa Wood, Chamber Executive Director. The award was sponsored by Mountaineer Insurance Services.

The Non-Profit of the Year Award went to the Family Resource Network. From left are Scott Goddard, Lisa Wood, Gilliam Adams, FRN executive director; and Jonathan Kyle. The award was sponsored by Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad.

The New Business of the Year Award went to Saneso, Inc. From left are Scott Goddard, Brandy Crawford, Alisha Miller, Jonathan Kyle and Lisa Wood. The award was sponsored by the Randolph County Development Authority.

The Business Person of the Year Award went to Dr. Richard Topping of Tygart Valley Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. From left are Topping, his staff, and Lisa Wood, Jonathan Kyle and Scott Goddard. The award was sponsored by Davis Trust Company.

The Citizen of the Year Award went to Van Broughton. From left are Scott Goddard, Jonathan Kyle, Van Broughton and Lisa Wood. The award was sponsored by Citizens Bank of West Virginia.

The Chamber Member of the Year award went to Mark Doak. From left are Scott Goddard, Jonathan Kyle, Marsha Doak, Doak and Lisa Wood. The award was sponsored by the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce.

One of the COVID-19 Hero Awards went to Bonnie Woodrum and the staff and volunteers of the Elkins-Randolph County Health Department. Above are Bonnie Woodrum and heath department staff members. The sponsor of the award was Anytime Fitness.

A COVID-19 Hero Award went to Dr. Catherine ‘Mindy’ Chua and the staff/volunteers of Davis Medical Center and Chad Ware and the staff/volunteers of the Community Clinics. The sponsor of the award was Davis & Elkins College.

A COVID-19 Hero Award went Valley Health Care. From left are Scott Goddard, Lisa Wood, Jonathan Kyle, Jordan Godwin, CEO, and staff of Valley Health Care. The award was sponsored by Elkins Sewing Center.

A COVID-19 Hero Award went to Battery A, 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment of the WV Army National Guard. Pictured are Lisa Wood, Jonathan Kyle, SSG Justin Vandevender and Scott Goddard. The award was sponsored by Davis Medical Center/Davis Health System.

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