Members of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce gathered on Friday, Jan. 19 for the Chamber’s annual banquet in Centralia College’s TransAlta Commons.
Aside from food, networking and a silent auction, Chamber Board Chair Coralee Taylor opened up the chamber’s banquet along with Chamber Board At-Large Executive Chris Thomas who helped announce the winners for Business of the Year along with the Evergreen and Ambassador of the Year awards.
“Our Chamber of Commerce is not just a group of people: We’re a community of doers, dreamers and visionaries,” Taylor said. “It’s a place where businesses large and small come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.”
The chamber’s 2023 Business of the Year Award went to the Lewis County Coffee Co. Accepting the award was Lewis County Coffee Co. owner Samantha Magnuson, along with employees Angie Twining and Nicole Butler.
“In just seven remarkable years, Samantha, Spike along with her daughter Angie have transformed a humble coffee stand on State Avenue into an inspiring success story,” Taylor said. “From a single location, they’ve expanded to an astonishing eight, with a ninth coming soon.”
Taylor added Lewis County Coffee Co. operates with love and compassion and also gives back to the community and often hosts chamber events along with others.
“We are just super honored and blessed to be here,” Magnuson said. “We wouldn’t be here without all of you, the community. You guys have all supported us.”
Alongside herself, Twining and Butler, Magnuson said, almost 60 other employees work for the company.
“Thank you for the support. Don’t forget your coffee tomorrow morning,” Magnuson added.
The chamber gave the Evergreen Award — which honors a person or organization for outstanding public service — to longtime Chehalis Mayor Tony Ketchum.
Recently re-elected to the Chehalis City Council and selected by the council to continue serving as mayor, Ketchum has spent nearly three decades as an elected official in Chehalis, according to Thomas. He also currently serves on the Lewis County Transit Board.
“He’s been on Visiting Nurses, Experience Chehalis, Hope Alliance, Sister Cities, Chehalis Clean Team, Special Olympics, Lewis County Historical Museum and, of course, our Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce board,” Thomas added.
Ketchum also volunteers as a local youth sports coach and at his local church.
“I’m speechless, and that doesn’t happen very often. I do what I do, not for this (award), but I do what I do because it’s for the community, and I truly love my community and believe in my community,” Ketchum said. “As my dad used to tell me all the time, ‘If you’re not willing to walk the walk, then you can’t ask for help from anybody else.’ I’m honored with this. I know there’s many more people out there that are probably better suited for this award, and I’m honored to be amongst their group.”
As for the chamber’s Ambassador of the Year, the award was given to Christine Brower, a data manager for Dynamic Collectors Inc., a Chehalis-based debt collection agency.
“This ambassador exudes all the qualities of a truly caring volunteer,” Chamber Ambassador Chair Trent Henning said. “She has spent countless hours helping at pretty much all manner of chamber events. You really can’t miss her smiling face at ribbon cuttings.”
Henning added that Brower recently stepped up to help with staffing issues within the chamber, too. Brower was unable to accept her award in person but was informed of her win on Friday.
The Chronicle contacted Brower Monday morning to talk about her work with the chamber, from covering for other chamber staff needing to go to meetings to picking up auction item prizes.
“Anything the chamber needs, I’m there to help with,” Brower said. “... I promise to continue striving to the highest standards the award represents, and I am thankful for the prestigious acknowledgement.”
She encouraged any area business owners interested in becoming Chamber Ambassadors to contact the chamber for information on how to get involved at 360-748-8885.
Chamber Executive Director Cynthia Mudge also spoke with The Chronicle on Monday and shared preliminary fundraising numbers from the banquet. The auction items generated $8,931 for chamber programs, and the dessert dash generated $10,303, which will go toward the chamber’s Rob Fuller scholarship program.
To learn more about the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, visit https://chamberway.com/.
