Bay County Chamber awards outstanding individuals at 110th annual dinner and ceremony

BAY COUNTY – The Bay County Chamber of Commerce held its 110th annual dinner and awards ceremony at Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort on Friday evening.

In a news release, chamber President and CEO Carol Roberts said the event is one of the most important events of the year for the chamber.

The event began with a social and silent auction benefiting Junior Leadership Bay, a Bay County Chamber Foundation program that aims to prepare youth and future business leaders through activities and discussions with community leaders and motivational speakers.

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Community leaders and elected officials gathered to celebrate the chamber's successes of 2022 and to honor the outgoing chairman of the board, Garrett Anderson of Anderson Construction. Will Cramer of Bill Cramer Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC served as the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Each year the chamber recognizes an outstanding member with its Member of the Year award. Darren Haiman was announced as the 2022 recipient.

"From our first conversation, Darren really stood out," Anderson said. "He has served the chamber in many different capacities, but most recently, he led the charge in the chamber's award winning 'A Better Way for A Brighter Bay' education initiative. The impacts of this campaign will be generational."

The Chairman’s Award, which has only been awarded five other times, is given only when the chair of the board of directors feels there is someone that has been impactful in a way that is outside the norm, the release states. Sen. George Gainer was announced as the 2022 recipient.

Also honored at the event was the outgoing Military Affairs Committee chair Chris Moore, who was the 2021 chairman of the board before becoming the 2022 MAC chair. Moore passed the gavel to Anderson, who took over as the 2023 MAC chair on Jan. 12. Moore spoke on the growth and generosity of the MAC and exciting events throughout the year.

"Our MAC membership has seen tremendous growth this year, increasing 7% and our membership continues to amaze me with their commitment to local active duty families,” Moore said in the release. “When called upon, they donated funds to help Team Tyndall host their Annual Awards ceremony that was postponed due to the wildfire evacuations and sponsored deserving Sailors so they could attend the Navy Ball. Just recently MAC members helped support more than 50 active-duty families at Christmas as well as the residents and staff of Sim's Nursing Home. It's that level of support that makes Bay County such a military friendly community."

The night's last award was the Lauren Merriam Memorial Award, the Chamber’s highest honor. Elizabeth Walters (the 2009 recipient of the award) presented the 2022 award to Frank Hall—who was selected for his devotion to the betterment of his community.

Hall serves as regional vice president of Cadence Bank of Florida and vice chairman of the Panama City Port Authority. He also serves as a member of the Bay Education Foundation, Alignment Bay County, Gulf Coast State College Foundation and trustee of Gulf Coast State College.

Wrapping up the ceremony, Anderson announced Kyle Shoots of System Service and Engineering as the 2023 Bay County Chamber chairman. Following his recognition, Shoots laid out his vision for the organization and key objectives for the year, affordable workforce housing, workforce development, continuing the work on the ‘A Better Way for a Brighter Bay’ initiative and support of Career and Technical Education.

In his closing remarks, Anderson stated that his time serving on the chamber board of directors had been the experience of a lifetime.

"I've been fortunate to build relationships with all of you, our members. To say I've made lots of memories this year is an understatement. It's been an amazing roller coaster ride,” Anderson said in the release. "To be a part of an award winning organization is something that each of us should be proud of.  It is recognition such as receiving the Chamber of Year for the fifth time by the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals, the Communications Awards and lastly, Carol receiving the Frank Ryall Pillar Award for her 45 years of service that brings recognition to Bay County. "

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County Chamber of Commerce hosts annual dinner and awards ceremony