Stellar efforts feted as Chamber hands out annual awards
Oct. 29—Community members gathered Thursday, Oct. 27, for the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet, celebrating the city's growth and success.
The annual event was held at the Chota Center, and attendees were encouraged to dress up for the Oscars-themed night.
Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner opened the night by welcoming those in attendance and shining a spotlight on the local business leaders
"There's a lot of folks out in this world that need jobs, and thanks being to God for each of you for giving people the opportunity, especially the individuals I represent at the Cherokee Nation," Warner said.
He said it's important to remember that God always paves a way during troubling times.
"I want to thank you for the time, I want to thank you for talents; more importantly, I want to thank you for your diligence because that's what it takes in this world," he said.
The Business Awards commenced after dinner, with Ward 3 Tahlequah City Councilor Stephen Highers and Jami Murphy as emcees.
Jennifer Yerton, with Farmers Insurance, was awarded Small Business of the Year, as well as Volunteer of the Year for her part in serving on numerous committees.
"We love volunteering. We love being a part of the community and watching our community grow. There's some great things happening in Tahlequah and Cherokee County right now," she said.
Linney Breaux's won the 2021-2022 Mid-size Business of the Year award, and Brandon Linney accepted it.
"The biggest inspiration is my mom and dad. They instilled, no matter what choice in life as far as occupation, the duty of serving others. They were the biggest part of teaching us the culture, the cooking methods, and the things we grew up with, living in Louisiana," Linney said.
He said he and his brother, Mike, for years nurtured the idea of creating a restaurant that would emphasize hospitality.
"[It would be a place] where you walk into and no one is a stranger, you're welcomed at the door regardless of whatever is going on in that person's life," he said.
Jon Miskov accepted the award on behalf of ServPro for Large Business of the Year.
"I'm genuinely grateful for the eye-opening experience I have witnessed while working for such an honest and caring company. At ServPro, we take pride in our ability to make it like it never happened 24/7, 365," said Miskov.
Tahlequah Fire Department Local 4099 was named Non-profit of the Year. Fire Lt. Travis Miller, president of the union, accepted the award and said it meant a lot to him.
"Tahlequah is an amazing place to live. This community supports us every day and they make it really easy to come out and serve and do our job," he said.
William Morgan was named Entrepreneur of the Year after starting up his business, Elephant Rock Garden Supply. He told the crowd he was working on more projects than just this new business.
"What we're trying to get to is not just to the business we have now, but [working] with my partners — they have kids, they have grandkids — and that's what we're trying to do, especially with growing in this area," Morgan said.
Tahlequah Police Officer Lane Cobb was named Hero of the Year for 2021-2022, and he said it was humbling to be recognized.
"I want to say thank you to the team I work with, the group of men and women I go out with every day and who make sure that I get home safely," Cobb said.
Bilal Chaudhry, of X-Press Stop, accepted the award for Community Impact. He said he felt as if the honor was given to the wrong person, as he claimed to have had no impact without the people with whom he was standing.
"I stand on the shoulders of my parents, my family, my friends. My dad is the best role model that I have. He always leads by example, navigating life; following in his footsteps is just very easy," he said.
Genny Maiden was honored as the Isabel Baker Outstanding Board Member, for her work on the Chamber's board. She thanked TACC and Tourism Council.
"We've had a long road and we're keeping it on and making it work, so thank you for all your support and making this worth it to me," Maiden said.
District 3 Cherokee County Commissioner Clif Hall, Tourism's Northern Star, touched on what a commission does and how he does it.
"I work with seven of the most awesome elected county officials in Cherokee County. I'm just a guy who volunteered to be on this board. It could have been Commissioner Chris Jenkins, [Lesa Rousey-Daniels] sits on this board, our trash coalition board. If everyone would just take a minute out of their day, a couple of times a year, it would make that impact," Hall said.
