By Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director
I always enjoy this time of year; there is a bit of a pause between summer ending and the start of the school year before we head full force into the holidays. It’s brief, but it’s a chance to catch your breath a little and settle into new routines – like grabbing a jacket before you leave work each morning.
This is also the time of year we start requesting the community to make nominations for our annual community awards. There’s a reason we always do it this time of year; the busy season is over and we are nearing the end of the calendar year. It’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on all the growth we’ve seen over the last year, and what (or whom) we are thankful for.
A great way to let members in our community know that you appreciate them is by nominating them for a community award. We have five categories: Business of the Year (10 employees or more); Small Business of the Year; Citizen of the Year; Development Project of the Year; and Program 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 in January. To make your nominations, visit tillamookchamber.org/nominate and fill out the online form. Those nominations are due by the middle of December so we have time for the selection committee, comprised of prior year’s award recipients, to review applications and make their decisions. We as the Chamber staff don’t choose the winners, or make nominations, but rather this is a community effort.
The nomination is 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. 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.
We will announce the nominees in December – 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. And as always, thank you for your help in making this another successful Chamber event. We literally could not do this part without you.