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103rd Annual Chamber of Commerce Awards
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| Volunteers of the Year |
Daniel Hughes and Fred Dowell
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This award was presented to Mr. Daniel Huges and Mr. Fred Dowell for their work over the last two years. These two City employees volunteered much of their own time to the study and finally capture Reggie the Alligator. Experts from all over were called on to assist with the capture of Reggie but ultimately his safe rescue was due to their diligence and dedication.
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| The Doug Martin Award |
Robert F. Millar
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A solid financial plan is important to any organization and while our Chamber has been performing well, we really didn’t have a solid budget or plan to reinvest dollars in the community. Because of his diligent work, we now have a budget that is clear, focused and specifies dollars to be spent on improving business and the community. |
| Citizen of the Year |
Jeffrey P. Neu
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This award recognizes the unselfish giving of a member or organization in the community that was supportive of the Chamber and various community projects throughout the year. He is worthy of recognition because of his generosity with his time and talents. Volunteerism serves as a key element in the successes of the endeavors of the Chamber and this individual played a key part in these. He has taken an active role in eliminating graffiti, cleaning the community, providing resources for local children, assisting our local Fire Departments and much more. You will never see his generosity, acts of kindness or compassion in the newspapers or on television because he gives of himself humbly and without fanfare. |
| Organization of the Year |
The Wilmington Coordinating Council
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Each year the Wilmington Coordination Council puts on numerous worthwhile programs. Their Mission: is to “Make Wilmington One.” This year we wanted to recognize them for several specific programs: their teacher of the year, student of the year and Wilmington Stars programs. They make an extraordinary effort to recognize a teacher and student from every single school in Wilmington which included public, private and vocational. Wilmington Stars salutes, individuals, families, small business and organizations that make a difference in the Wilmington Community. If you have ever had the opportunity to attend one of these events it is heart-warming and a priceless service to the community.
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| Company of the Year |
Valero
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This award recognizes a Chamber member company that demonstrates support, participation and involvement throughout the year in the various Chamber and community projects. Valero serves as an ambassador of the Chamber in its daily dealings and exemplifies the Chamber's mission and is a recognized good corporate citizen. Through community service and in-kind grants Valero supports many local organizations with outstanding educational vocational and environmental programs. As with all projects that rely on donations it takes someone to step up to the plate and be the first to say we think this project is worthwhile and will support it with time, talent, and resources. Valero was that company for the Wilmington YMCA; you may have noticed that the new addition to the YMCA bears their name. For these reasons and more Valero is the Wilmington Chamber’s Company of the year for 2007.
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| Environmental Award |
ConocoPhillips
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This is the second time that this annual award is to be given out and the Chamber looks forward to recognizing many more of our members in the future for their roles as leaders for improving our environment while growing their market share and providing a fair return to its shareholders. This year ConocoPhillips presented plans for a new Wet Gas Scrubber that will remove particulates from our air to improve our quality of life. In addition we are recognizing them for their research and development in the area of renewable energy. We would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the beautification that they have done surrounding their plant with the addition of sidewalks, trees and scrubs, they did another tree planting around the facility just a few months ago but something that you may not know about the trees surrounding their plant that in addition to creating oxygen they also help mitigate the soil while they grow. |
