The Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce will announce Shining Star Award winners during its second-annual event on Sept. 24 at the Berkleigh Golf Club, in Kutztown.
From each of six categories of nomination, Large Business, Mid-Size Business, Small Business, Entrepreneur, Nonprofit, and Advocate, a winner will be selected. Of these six award winners, one will be named Member of the Year. The process of nominating members was determined by the Shining Star Event planning committee chaired by Deborah Berger, owner, Hasch Dahl Embroidery, Silk-Screen & Promotional Items. Evaluating and selecting nominees is facilitated confidentially by the Reading Chapter of SCORE, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year.
The Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce its 2015 Shining Star Award finalists. The names of finalists are presented by category in alphabetical order only. The winners’ names are kept confidential until the Shining Star Event. For Small Business, Diane Dudley, BrowningDudley; Joseph R. Reighn, Reighn Communications LLC; and Brenda Gaul, Furniture Soup, Inc. In the Mid-Sized Business category, Mark D. Crossley, Esquire, Scherline & Associates, and David Kendall/Wendy Kerschner, Comfort Keepers. For Large Business, Beth Heckart, Tompkins VIST Bank; John L. Scott, Santander Bank N.A.; and Gretchen Strouphar, Kelly Services, Inc. For Entrepreneur, Kim Davis, Cynergy Associates, Inc., Matthew Hilbert, Colasanti Printworks LLC; and Merra Lee Moffitt, Good Life Financial Group. For Nonprofit, Kellie A. Butsack, Alzheimer’s Association, Delaware Valley Chapter; Nancy Brooks, Kutztown Community Partnership; and LuAnn Oatman, Berks Encore. The Advocate winner will be announced at the event.
The composition of the SCORE judging panel is six active members with volunteer representatives from both Berks and Schuylkill Counties. Participants within this group in 2015 represented a wide spectrum of knowledge and experience in the business and nonprofit communities. Two of the members have backgrounds in banking and finance; three have owned their own small businesses; three were in the corporate environment; two were actually recipients of similar awards from their individual chambers of commerce; and finally, most are serving, or have served, on the boards of many local nonprofit organizations.
In developing the evaluation criteria for each of the categories, the SCORE judges focused on the impact and influence that each of the individuals and/or companies or nonprofits had in their specific community or field of endeavor. This impact was based on overall contribution, commitment, and sustainability to the local economy and/or the well-being of the communities and citizens of Berks County. Some additional individual attributes that were considered included innovation, creativity, achievement, community recognition, inspiration, and leadership within the assigned six categories.
J. Russell Hoke, II, who led the charge at SCORE, noted: “This group of nominees provided the SCORE panel of judges with the opportunity to review a wide range of qualifications, experience, and areas of expertise. These candidates speak well of the composition of talent within the constituent base of the Northeast Berks Chamber. SCORE appreciated this opportunity to render our services to the chamber and the business community of Berks County.”
Visit www.shiningstarevent.com to purchase tickets securely online. Be the first to congratulate the winners and the 2015 Member of the Year!
The Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce, now in its 26th year, serves as a resource and an advocate to businesses and organizations within the general economic trading region known as Northeast Berks or the East Penn Valley.
Visit www.northeastberkschamber.com, or contact Lori B. Donofrio-Galley, Executive Director, at 610-683-8860 or at nbcc@ptd.net.
