MIDDLEBURY — The Addison County Chamber of Commerce recognized a local business, individual, and non-profit organization with awards during its annual meeting held on Oct. 11, at Tourterelle Restaurant in New Haven. Three awards were presented in front of a crowd that included Chamber members, local business people and community members.
Silver Maple Construction of New Haven was presented with the 2018 Business of the Year Award. The award recognizes businesses that have grown, sometimes despite adversity, while providing excellent products or services while doing well by their employees and the community.
Last year, Silver Maple Construction celebrated 10 years in business building fine homes and working on renovations and commercial projects of all sizes across the Northeast. They opened a new 4,000-square-foot woodshop to expand their custom woodworking operations.
The 2018 Buster Brush Citizen of the Year Award was presented to Amey Ryan, owner of IPJ Real Estate. Ryan exemplifies the criteria for which the award is given — a history of getting things done to make the community better in a variety of ways, with no intention of personal reward or recognition.
AMEY RYAN OF IPJ Real Estate, second from right, received the Chamber’s 2018 Buster Brush Citizen of the Year. Here she share the award with her team members — Polly Rainey, Karen James, Beth Stanway and Courtney DeBisschop — and Chamber President Rob Carter.
Ryan has been Addison County Board of Realtors Realtor of the Year on three separate occasions. She has been on the Vermont Realtors Board, and is a member of the National Association of Realtors. She is a Melvin Jones Fellow with the Middlebury Lions Club, and has been a board member of the Chamber of Commerce and President of the Better Middlebury Partnership. She tirelessly attends meetings and benefits.
As one colleague put it: “She is the first to step up, get involved, or support a worthy cause, and inspires others to follow. … Amey has worked very hard in business, equally hard for this community, with transparency and total objectivity.”
The Chamber’s 2018 Community Achievement Award is given to a non-profit organization that provides a significant and sustained contribution to the wellbeing of the area. This year’s award was presented to the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts and accepted by Liza Sacheli, director of the center.
KEVIN P. MAHANEY Center for the Arts was awarded the Chamber’s 2018 Community Achievement Award. ACCC President Rob Carter shares the award with Mahaney Center Director Liza Sacheli, as well as Shannon Bohler, Debby Anderson, Allison Carrol, Christa Clifford and Missy Thompson.
The Mahaney Center for the Arts is the largest and busiest visual and performing arts organization in Addison County. In the 2017-2018 season, it celebrated its 25th anniversary.
Chamber annual meeting attendees voted on the board of directors for the 2018-2019 year. New to the board this year, serving one-year terms expiring at the 2019 annual meeting are: Marty Kulczyk, Robert Frost Mountain Cabins; Dickie Austin, Black Sheep Bistro and Park Squeeze; Tom Manion, UVM Porter Medical Center; Sean Flynn, Silver Maple Construction; Courtney DeBisschop, IPJ Real Estate; and Ben Calvi, Vermont Cider Company.
Other board members include: Bethany Dever, Dever Accounting Service, Treasurer; Karen Duguay, representing Better Middlebury Partnership; Judson Hescock, Neuse, Duprey & Putnam, P.C., Chair; Shawn Oxford, Bristol Financial Services, Past Chair; Renny Perry, representing Vergennes Downtown Partnership; Bill Sayre, A. Johnson Lumber Company, representing Addison County Regional Planning Commission; Len Schmidt, Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center; Adam Rainville, Maple Landmark, Vice-Chair; Meaghan McLaughlin, National Bank of Middlebury; Robert Feuerstein, Kennedy Brothers, shared board member with Addison County Economic Development Corporation.
The board of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce thanked Tim Brownell, Addison County Home Health and Hospice, Geoff Conrad, formerly with the Middlebury Inn, Don Devost, Maple Trail Financial and Hannah Manley, Homeward Bound, for their service to the board.