Members of the Washington-Beaufort Chamber of Commerce came together last night for its 112^th annual banquet at the Washington Civic Center.

At the banquet, Catherine Glover, executive director of the Chamber, welcomed all members and guests and a dinner catered by Ann Martin with the Meeting Place in downtown Washington was served. The banquet is held each year to celebrate things that have happened in the past year, as well as to hear about and look forward to things that are coming up in 2015, Glover said.

Following comments by Glover and Walt Gerard, president of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, the Chamber announced winners of awards and special recognition. Among the awards given were: Ambassador of the Year, which was given to Alma Friedman and Bob Boulden; Nonprofit of the Year, given to Eagle’s Wings; Entrepreneur of the Year, given to Brad Horton with Athletic Edge; Small Business of the Year, given to Big Bargain Furniture; Community Leader of the Year, given to F. Ray Moore; and Business of the Year, which was awarded to two different businesses — Coca Cola Bottling Co. and Down on Mainstreet. Glover said the categories for the awards given have been around for a long time with the exception of Entrepreneur of the Year, which was added several years ago. The Chamber Board decides who best deserves the award from nominations by Chamber membership, Glover said.

“Anybody can nominate a business that is deserving, and we look at that and the Chamber Board decides from there,” Glover said. “We had the most nominations we’ve ever had this year for all categories. It was a hard decision, and we encourage anyone to continue to nominate well-deserving businesses. We wish we could give every single one of them an award because they all contribute so much.”

Three things were highlighted by the Chamber in regard to ongoing, future and past projects. Among them were: the growth of the Chamber’s Young Professionals program, which saw over 90 participants in its first full year; the Bright Futures initiative, a partnership between the Chamber and Beaufort County Schools that involves networking to aid underprivileged students; and the project to expand the Chamber building. The expansion project will mean a new front porch for the Chamber, as well as a new entrance on the street way, Glover said. Other topics of discussion included the upcoming Leadership Beaufort initiative that is slated to start in February, Job Shadow Day, which will involve 60 Beaufort County 10^th-graders, and Taste of Washington, an event in March that will showcase area restaurants.

Glover also expressed appreciation for all members, sponsors and contributors, who made the event possible.

“We want to thank all of our sponsors,” Glover said. “We wouldn’t be able to hold events like this and others throughout the year if not for our sponsorship. We have a lot of community support from local businesses in our membership and sponsorship, and we are very thankful for all they do. We’re just very thankful for all the businesses that are here and that have chosen Washington and Beaufort County as their home. We are seeing a positive business climate, and we are excited about that for 2015.”

For more information, visit www.wbcchamber.com.