By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director
There’s an inclination that happens every November where we start to count the things we are thankful for in preparation for Thanksgiving. It’s a time of reflection and gratitude. The bustle of summer is over and the excitement of the holidays is only just starting to permeate throughout everyday lives, and we have time to pause and give thanks.
It’s been quite a year at the Chamber and there is much that I am thankful for. We have a capable and passionate staff, a dedicated board, and members who are engaged and eager to build our community into the best place to live and work on the Oregon Coast. We have watched the construction project from our front window and have kept our readers and newsletter subscribers up to date on what to expect as a way to mitigate any problems or confusion. We’ve planned a trip to Ireland that is almost sold out, and hosted a number of successful community events that brought together people and ideas and celebrated both. We’ve created a fun initiative to shop locally this holiday season, and have watched as our business community has reached across the aisle to support and help one another.
I am hoping that now our readers can channel this wave of gratitude and spend a few moments filling out nominations for our annual Chamber Awards. The nomination form is conveniently located on our website, www.tillamookchamber.com/nominate, where you simply select which award you’re making a nomination, answer four questions and hit submit. You can also upload any letters of support, or drop them off at the Chamber office during business hours.
The categories this year are Business of the Year; Small Business of the Year; Developmental Project of the Year; and Citizen of the Year. Any and all businesses, projects, and people in Tillamook County are eligible, and nominees will be honored at the annual Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet on Jan. 20, 2018.
Once again, there are dozens of qualified candidates that come to mind for each award. All you have to do is take a walk downtown, or drive down Third Street, to see some of the amazing development and community spirit we have in our great city. It almost seems impossible to pick just one.
However, in order for our awards committee to review the applications and have the plaques printed, we need all nominations and supporting materials submitted by Dec. 1, 2017. That gives you just over three weeks to make a nomination. The form is simple, and it will only take a few minutes of your time to consider who and what you are thankful for this year and let them know. You can remain anonymous as the nominator if you wish, and if you would like to attend the ceremony in January you can request an invitation. It’s a small gesture, but I can assure you it means a lot to those in our community who work tirelessly to provide us with goods and services that enrich our lives and sustain our economy. Just knowing that someone out there appreciates the work they are doing and took the time to say “thank you” is a great blessing this time of year.
We will announce the nominees next month – so until then, go over to www.tillamookchamber.org/nominate and fill out the form. There is no limit to how many businesses, projects, and people you can nominate. They will all receive an invitation to the banquet in January. And as always, thank you for your help in making this another successful Chamber event.