Annual Chamber of Commerce banquet planned for April 2

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The Perry Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner will be held Tuesday, April 2 at 5:30 p.m. at La Poste.

The evening’s festivities will begin with a social and dinner, followed by a program that will include speakers celebrating the past year’s successes and an award ceremony. A live pie auction will serve as entertainment to wrap up the night, with proceeds going to the Chamber’s Fourth of July Fireworks Drive.

“The Annual Chamber Dinner is a great opportunity for members to come together and celebrate the successes of the past year,” said 2018 Chamber President Emily Leslie. “It’s also a great way to get people geared up for this new year ahead of us.”

The Chamber wishes to thank the community for their nominations for two annual awards — Business of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

The Spirit of Perry Business of the Year Award celebrates a business that best embodies the spirit of the Perry Chamber of Commerce and the Perry community by serving as an example to others through their leadership, service and commitment. Nominees for the 2019 Business of the Year include:

  • Backwards Boutique and Backwards Properties for “investing in the community with the renovation of a beautiful building downtown and the opening of a new business that draws brings people to Perry.”
  • Betsy Peterson Designs for “donating so much time and talent to the community.”
  • BTWI for “being a small family-based business that always goes above and beyond to serve their customers and the community.”
  • Hotel Pattee for “being a tremendous boon to the community in 2018, with new ownership and expansions with Frio and Harvey’s.”
  • Hulgan Plumbing & Heating for “going the extra mile for their customers and providing round the clock service, as well as their many community sponsorships and donations.”
  • Perry Community School District for “spreading Perry Pride and making big improvements over the last year with upgrades to the football field, continued growth in Iowa assessments, and increased enrollment.”
  • Perry Perk for “successfully expanding to a bigger location and thriving as an anchor business downtown.”
  • The Perry Chief for “being positive and doing a great job of reporting all the great things going on in the community.”
  • El Tren for “giving back to the community and helping the school by donating time, money and food.”

The Jack Finneseth Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award celebrates an individual who best embodies the spirit and passion Jack Finneseth had about volunteerism. Like him, this individual goes above and beyond to ensure the success of many events and programs through selflessness and many volunteer hours, much of the time going unrecognized. Nominees for the 2019 Volunteer of the Year include:

  • Lee Coons for “offering unique ideas and solutions and always volunteering his time and talents, on top of running a business and working full time.”
  • Jenny Eklund for “her passion and dedication in making Perry a vibrant community.”
  • Lois Hoger for “serving as an example, inspiration, and motivator of community volunteerism to all who know and work with her.”
  • Emily Leslie for her “energy, involvement, commitment and dedication to improving the Perry community.”
  • Matt McDevitt for “his spirit and passion, and constantly working to bring teams together to improve the community.”
  • Misty Von Behren for her “helpfulness and dedication to various community programs.”

A new award has been added to the slate of annual awards this year, with the revival of the Chamber Ambassador Program – open to any individual representing a Chamber member business or organization.

The Ambassador of the Year Award will celebrate an Ambassador of the Perry Chamber of Commerce who has shown great dedication to the organization over the past year through their attendance and volunteerism at Chamber events. The 2019 Ambassador of the Year nominees include:

  • Joe Cerwinske for “going above and beyond to promote Chamber events through his work and volunteerism.”
  • Zack Cregeen for “stepping up to be at all the extra events and helping at BRR.”
  • Courtney Straker for her “passion for volunteerism and involvement with the Farmers Market.”
  • Misty Von Behren for her “advocacy of and dedication to the Chamber, as well as countless volunteer hours for various events.”

“It is inspiring to receive so many great nominations for these annual awards,” stated Executive Director of the Perry Chamber of Commerce Lynsi Pasutti, “but it certainly makes for a tough decision for the Chamber Board of Directors.”

All nominees will be recognized at the Annual Dinner and the award recipients will be announced that night.

The live pie auction is the official kick-off for the Chamber’s annual fundraising efforts for the Fourth of July fireworks. Last year’s annual dinner brought in just under $4,000 — about a third of the total cost for the fireworks display — with about a dozen pies and desserts, all donated by area businesses and community members.

A new activity for this year’s Perry Chamberof Commerce Annual Dinner will be the option to get a professional headshot taken by local photographer Yeisha Lee.

“The idea is for attendees that might not get a professional photo taken through their work – or aren’t interested in their own full-blown photo shoot – to have an affordable option to get a nice photo taken for their website, social media, business card, or other promotional materials,” Pasutti explained. “We’ll see how it goes, but I thought it might be something to try since everyone will be dressed up anyway.”

Cost for the optional headshot is $20 per person.

Tickets for the annual dinner are $30 per person and include a meal of roasted chicken, braised beef and pasta primavera by Harvey’s at Hotel Pattee. Reservations can be made at the Chamber office or online.

Chamber Members are invited to RSVP for the dinner. For more information about the annual dinner, to register or to donate a dessert for the auction, contact the Perry Chamber of Commerce at 515-465-4601.

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