1000 x 90

Annual Awards Presented at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s 64th Annual Meeting on Aug. 13 at Tweetsie

by Madison V. Fisler

Aug. 14, 2013. Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock served as a fitting venue for the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s 64th Annual Meeting last night. The meeting included a cowboy barbecue buffet, and of course awards presentations of the yearly community awards given out by the Chamber to deserving members of the community.

This years awards and recipients were as follows:

The Wade Brown Award for Community Recognition was awarded to Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer. This award, which recognizes a significant contribution through community development and sponsored by the Boone Golf Club, was awarded to the Schaefers for their contributions to the community, including the restoration of the Dangerfield Mansion, the Schaefer Jewish Community Center at the Temple of the High Country and the newly opened Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at Appalachian State University. The Schaefers are also active with the Appalachian Women’s Fund, the Watauga Humane Society and many other organizations. 

The Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development, which is sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank and awarded to someone who has worked for the orderly growth and development of Boone and Watauga County, was awarded to Keith Honeycutt who is known for always putting citizens first. Honeycutt spent six years on the Watauga County Economic Commission, serving as chair for two years. He also served as vice chair for Watauga Opportunities Inc., and as a member of the BREMCO Community Leadership Council as well as a four year member of the Watauga County Board of Commissioners where he helped champion the new Watauga High School. 

The Ben Suttle Special Services Award for Volunteerism, which recognizes the spirit of volunteerism in the community, was awarded to Skip Greene for his involvement in the growth of Boone, Appalachian State University and the High Country as a whole. Greene has been involved with missions through the First Baptist Church of Boone and the North Carolina Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief Ministry of the NC Baptist State Convention. He has generously donated his time during floods hurricanes and tornadoes and helped after the terrorist attacks at the Pentagon and New York City, and helped use his construction experience around the world. 

The Sue Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism, which is sponsored by the Boone TDA and is awarded to those who help advance the community’s tourism, was awarded to Jim Cottrell of French-Swiss Ski College. The ski college was founded in 1969 and has provided learners with lifetime skiing skills for 44 years. The French-Swiss Ski College has instructed Army Green Berets, Navy Seals, Secret Service personnel and Special Olympians. The ski college has also embraced snowboarding with instructors who specialize in teaching those techniques as well. 

The everGREEN Award for Leadership in Sustainability, an award which is sponsored by the Mast General Store, was awarded to Lisa Doty. The award criteria includes encouraging businesses to increase sustainability in their practices and promoting sustainable development by linking interested businesses with providers and vendors. Lisa Doty, Watauga County Recyling Coordinator, coordinated much more than recycling. She helped Watauga County to rank third for household recycling in 2011-12, rank 8th in the state for total public recycling, helped increase recycling by 100 percent since 2009 and much more.