WILDWOOD — The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce honored several businesses and non-profit organizations for beautification and conservation at its 65th Annual Meeting and Installation Dinner on Oct. 1 at the Wildwoods Convention Center.
Out of a total of 39 nominees, the Chamber presented the 43rd Annual Beautification Awards to eleven winners as follows: New Construction (Business) – The Deck at Holly Beach; New Construction (Non-Profit) – Cape Regional Medical Center Auxiliary Et Cetera Shop; Landscaping (Business) – Jersey Girl Drinks and Dining; Landscaping (Non-Profit) – Borough of Avalon, Gardens at Vet Square; Signage – Ice House Restaurant; Gateway – United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May; Gateway – Sea Isle City Fish Alley. The 43rd Annual Beautification Awards are sponsored by Atlantic City Electric and Write Impressions.
The 17th Annual General Conservation Awards were presented to The Nature Center of Cape May, Morey’s Piers and Beachfront Waterparks, Guardian Self Storage and The Brightside Newspapers. The 17th Annual Conservation Awards are sponsored by Atlantic City Electric, Cape Regional Medical Center, Hatch Mott MacDonald, and The Lomax Consulting Group LLC.
The Beautification Awards program originated in 1967 and recognizes businesses and organizations who have demonstrated their dedication to Cape May County by improving the outer appearance of their properties.
The Conservation Awards program began in 1992 to recognize businesses and organizations for their commitment to protecting the environment by making significant efforts to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
The chamber also announced the following awards:
Member of the Year award was presented to Comcast for outstanding support of the Chamber.
Volunteer of the Year was presented to Chandi Ankrum of R&R Specialities for her leadership in the chamber’s Ambassador Program.
The Borough of Avalon received the 2009 Cape May County Betterment Award for community leadership in tourism advocacy, beach replenishment programs, and elimination of prohibitive and costly regulations for coastal communities.
New Business Development Award for 2009 went to Gillian’s Funland in Sea Isle City.
The Women In Business Committee, Chaired by Jennifer Young (Verizon) was recognized as the 2009 Committee of the Year.
Two members received the 2009 New Member “Rookie” of the Year Award — Bath Time and Business Rx, both located in Cape May.
Historic Preservation Awards were presented to Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts for the preservation of World War II Tower No. 23 and Steelmantown Cemetery for the restoration of this circa 1700’s cemetery.
The chamber also elected new officers and directors.
New officers elected are: Chairman, Jay Sporl, Sr. from Seashore Campsites; Steve Morey, 1st Vice Chairman from Hatch Mott MacDonald; 2nd Vice Chairman Mike Hagan from M.A.Graphics; Secretary Janet Buchanin from 1st Bank of Sea Isle City; and Vickie Banks as Treasurer from Banks Books. Ronnie Town, Atlantic City Electric is the Immediate Past Chairwoman.
New directors for 2009-10 include: Beth Broadley, Broadley’s MDI; Caryn Rixey, Cape Bank; Kim Pedroni-Schiela, Clermont 9 Real Estate; Bernie Haas, Cape Publishing; Dave Repici, Sturdy Savings Bank.
Directors re-elected to the Board include: John Allison, Golden Inn Hotel & Conference Center; Joe Scheufele, South Jersey Energy Solutions; Barry Taylor, Comcast; Suzanne Walters, Borough of Stone Harbor; Jennifer Young, Verizon, NJ External Affairs; Norris Clark, Moreys Piers & Oceanfront Waterparks; Veronica Morey, Sun National Bank; and Robert Maschio, Coastal Broadcasting Systems, Inc.
The mission of the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce is to be the voice of the business community by promoting tourism and business development through legislative advocacy, marketing services, networking opportunities and education programs for our members.
The Chamber has been the voice of the Cape May County business community since it’s incorporation in 1944. Today, there are 960 members enjoying the benefits of membership, including representation in the Visitor Information Center located at the Chamber’s office at milepost 11 on the Garden State Parkway.
