Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Our Business Person of the Year Award – Gail Gill (Seabreeze Publications)
Her business is publishing and communications, but her love of optimism and spirit drives her through an all-encompassing array of commercial and civic experiences.
She has been a member of the Preferred Professionals of Martin County for 15 years, serving two years as their president,
Her additional love of service is shown in her free time as a volunteer and Doula for the Palm Beach County Hospice where she works with patients in their last stages of life, she is a Lay Minister for the Metropolitan Community Church of the Palm Beaches and a liturgical dancer.
She is the East Coast Sales and Marketing Director of Seabreeze Publications. She is directly involved in the marketing, editing, distribution and quality control issues for 19 newspapers, plus heads up the social media representation.
Her 19 papers cover a three-county area, with 11 in Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter area, three in Boca Raton, one St. Lucie County paper and four in Martin County, which also hosts our own chamber's newsletter each month. She was solely responsible for overseeing the start up of the five Treasure Coast editions.
She has an incredible depth of knowledge about the concerns and changes of the business community in those locales. When it comes to promoting local business and community events and discussing the business marketing needs, she is ever helpful in linking advantageous introductions to grow our local treasures.
Business of the Year – Forrest Hills Funeral Home and Memorial Park
There are companies that are in business to be there in special times of need. Our Business of the Year falls into that category, but they're receiving the award because they also step up to help our community when it has a special need. They're one of those companies everyone knows you can count on.
Not only do they honor the Palm City Chamber with their membership, but they are frequent sponsors of our events. Recently, they sponsored a luncheon, but waived their time to speak to the group, just so the non-profit group providing the program would have more time.
They participated as an Eagle Sponsor, our highest level of sponsorship, at this year's golf outing. They created the Michele Radcliffe Dutro Scholarship Fund. They contributed to the Lance Corporal Justin Wilson fundraiser, the Treasure Coast Hospice and the Treasure Coast Humane Society, but the list goes on and on and this is just with-in the last year.
Forest Hills Memorial Park opened December 11, 1976 and was chartered by the state of Florida as a perpetual care cemetery to provide a beautiful resting place for the residents of Palm City and the entire Treasure Coast. It is located on 40.2 acres on SW Murphy Road.
The Palm City Chapel was constructed on the cemetery grounds in 1984 and a larger and more elegant Funeral Home was opened in 1990 to better meet the needs of the community.
Under the leadership of Director of Operations Don MacIntosh and Funeral Home Manager, Susan Niemi, Forest Hills has become a premier facility, but more importantly, they have created an environment of giving back to the community they serve.
Ambassador of the Year – Claire Mason (LF Staffing)
Our Chamber Ambassador's are active at every chamber event and even behind the scenes. They check you in, greet you and even write your name down when your picture is taken. Choosing one person as Ambassador of the Year is a daunting task as there are many who deserve the award.
There is one person who stands out this last year. She is very quick to volunteer and frequently is at the sign in table, just waiting to greet you with her winning smile.
She is a consummate professional who is extremely dedicated and resourceful. She loves to meet people and solve problems and she has brought those skills to the Palm City Chamber of Commerce.
One of the first things you might notice is her charming accent. She was born in the United Kingdom, but has made the US her home since 1986. She is a member of HR Martin and served on the committee for Best Places to Work in Martin County and Steps to Success. She also volunteers her time to other chartable events.
She's been on the Treasure Coast for eight years, but she has over 15 years of experience working in the recruitment and management with strong knowledge in interviewing, staffing, sales and job placement strategies.
Volunteer of the Year – Bonnie Edson of StarFish Business Services
It is very rare when a new volunteer has such a dramatic impact on the look of an organization, but our Volunteer of the Year Award recipient is a person who has done just that.
She began by volunteering to work at the chamber a number of months ago
This person has over twenty years of experience in administrative assistant and executive assistant roles, along with professional organizing education.
During her time as a volunteer she has set up the chambers new email communication tools, in fact, she has her hand in every part of the chambers electronic communication, from invitations to newsletters to email confirmations.
Her slogan is "Streamlining Office Chaos” and she has gone way beyond that here at the Palm City Chamber.
