Several local businesses were honored at the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Membership Meeting and Regional Business Awards on Friday, where new members of the board of directors were also welcomed.
This was the first in-person Membership Meeting and Regional Business Awards since the Goleta, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria Chambers of Commerce merged to create the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce in July 2020.
The chamber represents 1,100 businesses across the South Coast, which totals to about 75,000 jobs.
The outgoing board chair, Kirsten McLaughlin, and incoming board chair, Trevor Large, were both recognized during the meeting.
“We continue to serve as your voice for pro-business policies working on topics such as the future of State Street, outdoor dining, opposing anti-business ordinances, adjusting the impacts of homelessness on businesses, and much, much more,” McLaughlin said about the chamber’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McLaughlin was the first chairperson for the merged Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.
“Our goals for this year are to acknowledge the pandemic’s effects, but to look forward and reinforce our commitment to our core principles in our robust program,” Large said. “What we look forward to is being committed to helping our businesses recover from COVID’s far-reaching impacts by navigating our principles and policies to help businesses and employees recover.”
The Annual Meeting Awards were also presented during the event, with the Chairman’s Award going to Tom Patton — general manager and partner of Ramada by Wyndham Santa Barbara, and is also the new vice chair of the board of directors.
The Ambassador of the Year award went to Angela Miller Bevan — regional operations manager of the Braille Institute, who has been an ambassador for the chamber for over 10 years and has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations such as the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, the Police Activities League, Special Olympics, and many more.
The bulk of the event went to announcing the recipients of the Business Awards.
The Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Chris Chiarappa, owner of Mesa Burger, Lighthouse Coffee, Corner Tap, and M Kitchen — all part of his Santa Barbara Restaurant Collective.
Other Business Award recipients included Mariposa at Ellwood Shores receiving the Community Business of the Year award; E.J. Harrison & Sons, Inc. which received the Milestone Business Award; Santa Barbara Better Together Fund being honored with the Nonprofit of the Year Award; Visit Santa Barbara receiving the Hospitality Award; Hilltop Flowers Inc. getting the Small Business of the Year award; and Cox Communications with the Large Business of the Year award.
“The Chamber helps connect businesses so that we can all prosper,” said Peter Bonilla, executive director of Mariposa at Ellwood Shores.
Four local community banks — American Riviera Bank, Community West Bank, Montecito Bank & Trust, and Pacific Premier Bank — were also recognized for their business assistance during the pandemic, such as helping with Paycheck Protection Program loans and loan forgiveness.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.