Every year, the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce schedules a Winter Gathering of the Membership. The event, held this past Thursday at Deer Run Golf Course, was a bright spot in the midst of this year’s long, cold winter. Both members and non-members alike spent the evening enjoying good food and friendship while honoring the chamber’s annual award recipients.
Here’s a look back at the 2019 Winter Gathering:
The Winter Gathering was a who’s who of prominent Lowell community members, including dignitaries such as State Representative Thomas Albert and his wife Erika.
Local leaders were on-hand too as well as last year’s person of the year, Betsy Davidson.
Evert and Catharina Bek, owners of Arctic Heating & Cooling and active chamber volunteers, were among those who enjoyed the delicious meal catered by Deer Run Golf Course.
Community member Bob Pfaller and Springrove Variety owner Mike Sprenger were also among the crowd that packed the gathering space at Deer Run.
Some community members were there to support a particular honoree, such as this table filled with guests of Mike Larkin.
The Easy Idle String Band kept the atmosphere festive throughout the evening.
While those in attendance enjoyed cupcakes and other delectable desserts from Miss P’s Catering, Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Liz Baker kicked off the night’s program. She introduced the various chamber board members and volunteers before showing off a series of promotional videos created by Eric Dimmick. If you haven’t see the videos yet, a number of them can be viewed on the Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page.
Baker then turned over the event to the evening’s two award presenters: Rick Seese, manager of Greenridge Realty in Lowell…
…and the always animated Cliff Yankovich, a Lowell City councilmember and owner of Chimera Design.
The first honor of the night went to Alpha Family Center for its work assisting growing families in the Lowell community. Executive Director Christa Wetzel was on hand to accept the group’s Non-Profit Spotlight award.
Lowell’s First Look received the Best Business to Watch award, and we couldn’t possibly feel more honored. Thank you Lowell Chamber!
Meanwhile, Travis Gemmell and his wife took home the Most Promising New Business award for their company Walnut Grove Excavating.
Although not one to seek out praise, Mike Larkin couldn’t avoid it Thursday night as his decades of service and generosity to the ccommunity was noted. In addition to always being willing to lend a helping hand, Larkin has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local causes such as rebuilding the Showboat through events like the annual chili cook-off. As a result, Larkin’s Fine Food & Cocktails received the much-deserved 2019 Business Appreciation Award.
Carol Briggs is another person who wasn’t look for recognition but got it anyway during the Winter Gathering. The longtime chamber volunteer was lauded for her willingness to roll up her sleeves and get to work doing whatever was needed in the community. She is the 2019 Person of the Year, and we’ll have more about her accomplishments in an upcoming article.
If you didn’t make it to this year’s Winter Gathering, we hope to see you next year!
Leave a Reply