Reprinted from the Vail Daily
The Vail Valley Partnership, the valley’s regional chamber of commerce, on May 13 honored some of the valley’s best at the 19th annual Success Awards.
This year’s awards honored nine businesses and three individuals at a ceremony held at the Riverwalk Theater. But there was a lot of work to do to get to the ceremony.
The Partnership in February calls on the community to nominate businesses and individuals who have gone above and beyond usual standards of service in the previous year. Each nominated business and individual is asked to fill out an application showcasing their achievements. Each application is reviewed by the selection committee, composed of the previous year’s Success Award winners. Votes are then taken and tallied.
There were 142 businesses and organizations, along with 62 individuals, that received nominations this year.
“Eagle County’s business community and supporting partners in the nonprofit and other sectors have shown amazing resiliency and it is validated by receiving over 140 peer nominations for the Annual Success Awards,” said Vail Valley Partnership President and CEO Chris Romer.
This year’s winners included a small business standing up against single use plastics, a bike shop providing educational programming and a 19-year old who has done more than many of us do in a lifetime. There is an organization that recognizes its employees must recharge in order to show up and do their best work, and another that increased visitation to a local treasure all the while decreasing its own water and energy usage.
“Our selection committee had their work cut out for them and did a great job identifying the finalists and winners among so many deserving nominees,” Romer said. “These exceptional businesses and individuals impacted our valley in 2021 and will continue to do so for years to come.”
This year’s winners are:
- Actively Green Business of the Year: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
- Best Place to Work: Eagle County Government
- Chairman’s Award: Colorado Mountain Medical’s Behavioral Health Team
- Community Impact Award — Individual: Ariana Lopez Gonzalez of the local United Way
- Community Impact Award – Organization: Your Hope Center
- Emerging Business of the Year: Seagull’s Cycles of Eagle.
- Excellence in DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion): Community Consciousness Series
- Member of the Year: Amanda Spannagel of Eagle County Schools
- Organization of the Year: Bright Future Foundation
- Small Business of the Year: Fill & Refill
- Small Nonprofit of the Year: My Future Pathways
- Young Professional of the Year: Colby Lefebvre of Alpine Pizza Company in Vail
