The Dayton Chamber of Commerce announced its awards for volunteer, ambassador, service business and retail business of the year at a masquerade ball on Saturday at the Dayton Community Center.<\/p>\n
Ann Marie Miller, the executive director for the Dayton Community Development Corporation, was named the\u00a02021 Volunteer of the Year<\/strong>. Over the last year, Miller has assisted the Chamber as it transitioned through a change in leadership with its new director, Jessica Sims.<\/p>\n \u201cAnn joined the DCDC in 2019 but has focused her entire professional career on economic development,\u201d said Dayton Chamber President Jordan Thibodeaux in announcing the award.<\/p>\n Originally from Oklahoma, Miller is a registered tribal citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. She has spent her life dedicated to the spirit of volunteerism, which began at an early age. When she was 9, she was presented with a Governor\u2019s Commendation for her work with the Governor\u2019s Easter Egg Hunt for the Blind.<\/p>\n \u201cHer dedication to Dayton is seen by her willingness to lend a hand to others and volunteering to assist without being asked,\u201d Thibodeaux said.<\/p>\n She volunteers on a regional and national level as she serves as a board member for both the Southern Economic Development Corporation and the International Economic Development Corporation.<\/p>\n \u201cShe mentors young professionals in her free time and encourages them to pursue their professional dreams,\u201d Thibodeaux said. \u201cWhen not working or volunteering, Ann enjoys spending time in the great outdoors. She is an avid athlete who not only played semi-professional kickball but has run numerous half-marathons and full marathons, and an ultra marathon.\u201d<\/p>\n The 2021 Retail Business of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0is August Blush Boutique, owned by Gabrielle Keene. The business was started by Keene three years ago and is thriving by offering sophisticated and chic clothing options for women.<\/p>\n \u201cGabby believes in being a hometown girl and doing what she loves,\u201d Thibodeaux said<\/p>\n JTT Towing and Storage is the\u00a02021 Service Business of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0for the Dayton Chamber of Commerce. Owned by Jeff and Ashley Johnson, JTT Towing and Storage was started in 2013 as a towing business. In January 2019, the business moved to Dayton, where storage rentals were added.<\/p>\n JTT now operates a fleet of six trucks and is continuing to grow, Thibodeaux said in announcing the award.<\/p>\n \u201cJeff has said from the beginning that JTT is a family. As a family-owned business, they treat their employees as such. That is not where the family atmosphere stop. Many times when someone has to call a tow truck driver, it\u2019s on one of the worst days of their lives. Jeff has always made it a point to be kind, caring and respectful, to be a good listener in order to provide the highest level of care and service to his customers,\u201d Thibodeaux said.<\/p>\n The\u00a02021 Ambassador of the Year<\/strong>\u00a0is Norma Stephens with Texas Diamond Realty. Though she only joined the chamber a little more than a year ago, Stephens has thrown herself into chamber volunteerism.<\/p>\n Tommy and Wanda Crayton, who were not in attendance on Saturday, were also recognized as the newest members of the Dayton Chamber Hall of Fame. The Craytons, longtime residents of Dayton, were a key part in starting the Chamber two decades ago.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were highly active in the Chamber until Tommy\u2019s accident. They had to cut back on attending events. They have continued to support the Chamber over the years. They have also been active in the Dayton Historical Society. We thank them for their commitment to our community,\u201d Thibodeaux said.<\/p>\n Thibodeaux also recognized the outgoing Chamber board members \u2013 Kory Whitley, Charlotte Mercer, Doug Crayton and Kim Mulkey \u2013 and the incoming board members \u2013 Gabrielle Keene, Emily Forster, Jimmy Cullars, Bill Monk and Sherisa Hoy. They will serve alongside Chamber President Jordan Thibodeaux, Chamber Vice President Lucas Gaskamp, Chamber Secretary Howie Howeth and board members Tammy Alexander, Amanda Wessels, Meadow Noyer, Sherry Schmidt, Sherisa Hoy, Nellie Lunsford and Dr. Constance Onemany.<\/p>\n Thibodeaux announced that Staci Wise, the assistant director, is stepping down to spend more time with her family. He also encouraged Chamber members to continue supporting each other.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year is certainly going to be filled with a lot of challenges. Anyone sitting here knows what\u2019s happening around our community, especially with our small businesses. As the Chamber, we are here to help you grow your businesses. We are here to help you be the best you can be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The awards banquet was made possible through the support of Chicken Express, Precision Lawns, Thriftee Food Center, Sullins and Johnson attorneys at law, Chambers Health, MobilOil Credit Union, Liberty County Farm Bureau-Baret Stephenson, Dayton Community Development Corporation, Houston Methodist Hospital, August Blush Boutique, The Broken Plank, Entergy, Mainframe 24-Hour Wrecker, Williamson Propane and Domino\u2019s Pizza.<\/p>\n About Skyhigh.Vip<\/a><\/p>\n Skyhigh.Vip<\/a> is a global institutional investor with vast interest in Arts <\/a> \/ Construction<\/a> \/ Education<\/a> \/ Business Services<\/a> \/ E-Sports <\/a>and various other growth industries.<\/p>\n Several of its popular portfolio includes GO Chambers<\/a> which is the world’s largest business chamber listing providers with over 30,000 active chambers<\/a> as its members.<\/p>\n Flexgigzz<\/a> is the Asia leading marketplace for freelancer service and together with SOHO Learning Hub<\/a> which is an online platform for short courses and both of them aims to be the number one provider in Asia. For growth industries such as E-Sport Authority <\/a> which is dedicated to providing independent media coverage to all E-Sport <\/a>News related from around the world and for the art world, there is Atelier Auction<\/a> which is an investable art auctioneer and being in the art scene for decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Dayton Chamber of Commerce announced its awards for volunteer, ambassador, service business and retail business of the year at a masquerade ball on Saturday at the Dayton Community Center. Ann Marie Miller, the executive director for the Dayton Community Development Corporation, was named the\u00a02021 Volunteer of the Year. Over the last year, Miller has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,38],"tags":[55,29,49,96,97,98],"class_list":{"0":"post-270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news","8":"category-north-america","9":"tag-chamber-news","10":"tag-chamber-of-commerce","11":"tag-chambers","12":"tag-dayton-chamber","13":"tag-members","14":"tag-volunteer"},"yoast_head":"\n