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The San Ramon Chamber of Commerce hosted a dinner and ceremony earlier in the month aimed at celebrating and recognizing the achievements of a number of community and business leaders, with this year marking the first for the rebranded community awards.
The chamber announced the renaming of their annual business and community awards as the WOW Awards in October, with the ceremony and celebration on Dec. 6 marking the event’s first time under its new title, as well as the first headed by Heidi Kenniston-Lee, who took the reins as the organization’s president and CEO in June.
“The chamber has such a rich foundation of recognizing outstanding community contributions that we wanted to honor that, but we also wanted to reflect the dynamic contributions of these folks, that when you hear all the stuff they do, there’s folks that really go above and beyond,” Kenniston-Lee said. “And when you hear what they do, it’s like ‘wow’ – it’s such a visceral reaction.”
“It’s an institution in our community, and I just wanted to reflect just how amazing their contributions are and to sort of reenergize the chamber’s efforts to recognize people that really do what they do,” she added.
The awards were distributed through seven categories – citizens, business person, employee, green company, and ambassador of the year plus the Outstanding Teen Citizenship Award – with recipients representing a range of sectors and achievements that are often overlooked by the public.
“I think what is amazing about these award winners is they do what they do – they don’t do it to be recognized, they do it because they have a heart for service,” Kenniston Lee said.
Lynette and Scott Gerber, who were named Citizens of the Year for their work as community volunteers and youth advocates, are a prime example, Kenniston-Lee said.
“They have the passion for serving their community, and they’re not looking to be recognized,” Kenniston-Lee said. “I know them personally, and genuine service is part of their DNA.”
The couple are longtime residents of San Ramon whose children attended California High School, one of whom is now a teacher at Gale Ranch Middle School and the leader of a local Girl Scout troop alongside her mother.
Lynette Gerber has been a board member of the San Ramon Rotary Club for a majority of the time since it was chartered in 2010. Having retired from a career in environmental toxicology, she now volunteers full-time, serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster youth, hosting exchange students and baseball player, overseeing youth protection compliance in the local rotary club, and leading a number of community events including the San Ramon Valley Historic Foundation’s annual sheep shearing at Forest Homes Historic Park.
Wade Luckhardt, who has owned the San Ramon sign shop FASTSIGNS for the past 18 years, was selected for the Business Person of the Year award for his accomplishments with the long standing business and his outside activities including serving on the city’s Economic Development Advisory Committee and the chamber’s Board of Directors.
The Employee of the Year award went to Gayle Israel, chief of staff for District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen, for her work in that capacity over the past decade and a range of other activities including service on the Red Cross Contra Costa Leadership Council through the present day and the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation’s board from 2017 to 2021.
“Gayle has been a tremendous asset to our community by coordinating all of our constituent work, delegating responsibilities to the other members of our team; heading up our communication efforts with a weekly e-newsletter going out to over 6000 residents; working with city and county staff when issues arise; and providing insightful analysis of the many issues that come before the Board of Supervisors,” Andersen told DanvilleSanRamon.
California High School Principal Demetrius Bell was selected as Educator of the Year, with Dougherty Valley High School student Shelby Yeh being selected for the Outstanding Teen Citizenship Award.
“We are proud to know that our educators and students are being honored for making a difference in our community,” SRVUSD Superintendent John Malloy said in a statement Monday. “We thank the San Ramon Chamber for recognizing Demetrius and Shelby’s positive impact and we look forward to their continued leadership in our community and beyond.”
Jorge Gutierezz, owner of Erik’s DeliCafé, was selected for the chamber Ambassador of the Year Award. The restaurant was Gutierrez’ first workplace when he was a teenager, following in the footsteps of his father Epifino Guitierezz, who first started working there years prior.
The two went on to purchase the restaurant in late 2021 and open it nearly a year later, with Jorge Gutierrez growing increasingly involved in chamber events and ultimately serving as an ambassador for the organization.
The non-profit renewable energy provider MCE was named Green Company of the Year for its role in reducing carbon energy use and seeking to mitigate climate change impacts. The organization serves customers throughout Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, and Solano counties, including 92% of San Ramon residents according to the award nomination from a member of their board.
Kenniston-Lee said that while the rebranded awards were aimed at signifying the re-energization of the chamber under her leadership, her goal was also to continue the tradition and spirit of the Community Awards.
“No matter what the brand it will always be a wonderful celebration of community,” Kenniston-Lee said. “I do think that the sort of reenergized brand is indicative of the reenergizing of the chamber, and in general I think people are sort of feeling that reengaging of the chamber. ”
“San Ramon is definitely a formidable business hub, a formidable community hub, and the chamber is an important part of that equation,” she added.
