Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral President/CEO Donna Germain (left) with 2024 Chamber Chairman Dusty Shelton with It's IT at the annual Chairman's Gala & Excellence in Business Awards last week. PROVIDED

Leaders in business throughout the Cape Coral community were recognized last Friday as part of the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral’s annual Chairman’s Gala & Excellence in Business Awards.

The event took place at The Mercola Event Center, where Chamber officials recognized sponsors, volunteers, board members, and all that put in time and effort to make the year a success.

The gala, which was attendees dressed in their best, included the annual Chamber Awards, silent auction, and induction of the board for 2024.

“We love being able to recognize the hard work of all of our members each year and celebrate them at the Chairman’s Gala,” said Chamber President/CEO Donna Germain. “This year, we added the Excellence in Business component back to our awards ceremony. The Excellence In Business Awards are by nomination and are voted on by a selection committee. We started this year with three categories, Non-Profit, Small Business and Large Business of the Year. We hope to expand on that in the years to come.”

Germain said the Chamber is fortunate to have a great group of volunteer leaders. The Chamber is governed by a board of 25 directors, four trustees and 13 chairman emeritus.

The 2024 Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral Board of Directors were named and recognized last week at the Chairman's Gala & Excellence in Business Awards. PROVIDED

Award recipients include:

• 2023 Non-Profit of the Year: Thrive SWFL

• 2023 Small Business of the Year: Priority Business Solutions

• 2023 Large Business of the Year: LCEC

• Board Member of the Year: Bill Johnson, Jr, IOM, Horizon Foundation

Lee County School Board Member Sam Fisher, Dennis Shelton and the Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral 2024 Chairman Dusty Shelton. PROVIDED

• Trustee of the Year: Eric Gundersen, Photo Booth Cape Coral

• New Member of the Year: IncredibleBank

• Welcome Center Volunteer of the Year: Karen Terbenche, Miloff Aubuchon Realty

• Member of the Year: Mick Sheldrake

• Volunteer of the Year: Suzanne Noriega

• Government Affairs Committee Member of the Year: Dan Pulieo, Cape Cleaners

• Membership Development Committee Member of the Year: John Solaroli, Faith Generation Church

• Education Committee Member of the Year: Toni Mueller, Finemark Bank

• Chamber Champions: Rotary Club of Cape Coral, Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral, Technology at Work, IncredibleBank, Rachel Kaduk

• Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award: B. Pat O’Rourke

“We have a great mix of people that can not only provide historical knowledge, but also provide a fresh outlook on where the chamber wants to go in the future,” Germain said.

She congratulated the following members on their appointments:

Dusty Shelton, Chairman – It’s IT; Jay Johnson, Chair Elect – Bubba’s Roadhouse & Saloon; Julie Ferguson, Past Chair – Cape Coral Caring Center; Mick Sheldrake, Treasurer – Guardian Angels for Special Populations; Stephanie Ramirez, Financial Advisor – Assured Bookkeeping Plus; Bill Johnson, Jr, Member at Large – Lee County Horizon Foundation.

Directors: Bill Jones – WastePro USA; Chuck Warren – Coral Ridge Funeral Home and Cemetery; Jay Santos – Busey Bank; Jeff Justin – LCEC; Jenell Dolan – LCEC; Lorri Philbin – Lee Health; Matthew Connar – Boost Creative; Molly Scott – Chris-Tel Construction; Molly Wright – Suncoast Beverage; Nancy Travis – Lee Health; Nita Whaley – CC Real Estate Services; Rachel Kaduk – Sanibel Captiva Community Bank; Samara Weidner – Technology At Work; Toni Mueller – Finemark Bank; Barry Kadel – The Westin Cape Coral; Eric Gundersen – Drones SWFL; Kurt Godwin – Discovery Maps.

Trustees: Susanne Noriega – Individual Member; Tracy Sicard – Fast Signs; Vanessa Chaviano – LIV Digital Marketing; Michelle Richard – Semper Home Loans.

Chairman Emeritus: Annette Carrasquillo – LAI Design Associates, LLC; Brett Bisbe – B2 Technology Solutions, Inc.; Christopher Spiro – Spiro & Associates; Donna Meola – Truist Bank; Ed Ramos – Ramos Builders, Inc.; Elmer Tabor – Big John’s/Cape Coral Town Center; Joseph Mazurkiewicz – BJM Consulting, Inc.; Michelle Lewis – B2 Technology Solutions, Inc.; Thomas Giles – Avalon Engineering; Wayne Kirkwood – Retired; Trish Lassiter – Lee County Electric Cooperative – LCEC; Joseph Francioni – SWFL Water Testing; Zachary Zeis – Suncoast Beverage.

“Our amazing team of staff and volunteers devote countless hours to the chamber’s mission each year,” Germain said. “We are a champion for business and an advocate for community.

“We would not be where we are today without the countless volunteers, leaders and of course the amazing chamber staff this organization has had over the years. Each and every one of them had a part in growing this organization over the last 63 years.”

For more information on the chamber and how to get involved, visit capecoralchamber.com.