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Community commitment

Awards shows a deep bench of people committed to La Plata County

The winners in last week’s annual Chamber of Commerce awards’ night were reported in Friday’s Durango Herald, and they will be repeated here.

The point is to give credit to the also-rans, businesses, nonprofits and individuals with strong records in community betterment.

The Spirit of Durango Award was won by Vectra Bank, but it easily could have gone to the other nominees: Alpine Bank, or the Wells Group. Alpine’s staff has 30 hours of paid time to participate in the community and is heavily involved in youth organizations. Wells, which will mark 30 years this year, provides the structure and encouragement for its brokers to support a community fund.

In the nonprofit of the year category, Alternative Horizons, received the nod. It provides advocacy services for victims of domestic violence. Adaptive Sports, a nominee, is nationally recognized for the winter sports experiences it provides to the physically challenged.

Big Brothers Big Sisters, started by the late Bill Mashaw in 1994, has consistently successfully matched youngsters whose lives are incomplete with adults who can broaden their experiences.

Lindsay Eppich, now Lindsay Abshagen, founded Eppich Photography, and the Durango High School graduate delivers quality event and personal photography in the region. Steve Eccher, of Eccher Design & Planning, seems to have an unusual ability to translate his architect and construction clients’ wishes into appealing structures of glass, wood and concrete.

Both were strong contenders for the entrepreneur category, won by Mountain View TLC. At Mountain View, a physician, psychologist, physical therapist and nutritionist office in close proximity in a “multi-faceted health-care partnership.”

Tafoya Barrett and Associates received the Small Business award with strong give-back to the community, but Sachs Construction and CJ’s Diner were solid contenders.

John Mahoney and Gina Piccoli’s generosity and good cheer in leading Coldwell Banker gave that real estate firm the (large) Business of the Year award. Kroegers Ace Hardware has long been a mainstay in local company giving, while Durango Motor Co., in new ownership for three years, is quickly rising to the top in community involvement.

Volunteer of the Year went to Ron Corkish, largely for his lengthy membership in La Plata County Search & Rescue. Corkish’s acceptance speech, describing the value of saying “sure” when asked for something, was the best of the evening. But Janna Schaefer’s role as a Blue Star Mom for La Plata and Montezuma counties, and Buck Skillen’s work on behalf of a healthy Animas River and his presidency of the local chapter of Trout Unlimited, deserve praise.

Citizen of the Year was Sidny Zink, a past city mayor who has had leadership roles in state and national Certified Public Accountant associations and is now this region’s commissioner for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Susan Lander knows the local and state nonprofit world and works tirelessly to improve its effectiveness. Steve Parker, the former CDOT commissioner for 12 years who also lead the creation of Leadership La Plata and was an early president of Music in the Mountains, was like Lander also a strong contender.

Five other awards do not include the names of those in contention other than the winners, but we can assume there was depth in those categories as well. Beth Drum of Alpine Bank received the Morley Ballantine Award, Paul Eckenrode the Young Professional, Laura Lewis-Marchino the Barbara Conrad, Marily Berger the Diplomat and the late Lela Boyer The Outstanding Contribution to the Community. Boyer nurtured the public library, and the used-book sale location has been named “Lela’s Place.”

This year’s Chamber of Commerce awards again show the depth of community involvement by a multitude of businesses, nonprofits and individuals. Congratulations to all who were nominated, as well as to the winners.



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