The Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce held its 84th Gala on Friday, March 23, from 6 to 11 p.m. at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.
Eleven award recipients attended the event and received plaques of appreciation from the Chamber for their service to the community.
They were: Leslie Saul, 2017 Roanoke County Educator of the Year; Sonnya Preston, 2017 Salem City Educator of the Year; Officer Christian Mason, 2017 Roanoke County Law Enforcement Officer of the Year; Officer Cody Keen, 2017 Salem City Law Enforcement Officer of the Year; Lisa Bain of SERVPRO of Roanoke, 2017 Chamber Ambassador of the Year; Chuck Neely, owner of Neely’s Accounting Service, the 2017 Judy Griesenbrock Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service; Jerry Canada, who served 25 years on the Roanoke County School Board, received the 2017 Citizen of the Year; R.M. Johnson & Sons received the primary Business of the Year Award. The Hart Motor Company, the Salem Civic Center and the City of Salem were also recognized for their service to the residents of the Roanoke Valley.
Toni McLawhorn of Roanoke College, 2017 president, passed the gavel to Teresa Hamilton Hall of Appalachian Power, the 2018 president. McLawhorn was given a gavel plaque to commemorate her service to the organization.
The event was emceed by Daytime Blue Ridge personalities Natalie Faunce and Brittany Flowers. The local band, “The WORX,” provided the entertainment for the night that appealed to all ages.
This year’s sponsors included Aetna, which was the Specialty Bar Sponsor. The Gold Sponsor was LewisGale Regional Health System. The Silver Sponsors included Yokohama and WSLS10, and the Bronze Sponsors were Appalachian Power, Sherwood Memorial Park and Consolidated Construction Services, Inc. The Hospitality Sponsors included the Salem Civic Center and Harmony Senior Services, while the Media Sponsors were WSLS10 and WFIR. The Printing Sponsors were Minuteman Press of Roanoke and Ethos Technologies. The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center was the Venue Sponsor.
-Submitted by Jill Sluss, Executive Director
