The Darien Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce to the Darien Community the 2019 Awards for “Volunteer of the Year”, “Business of the Year” and “Employee of the Year” of a Darien Chamber member. The awardees were honored at the Annual Meeting with Awards and Holiday Cheer at the Darien Historical Society on November 22nd, 2019. Attendees enjoyed the catering of Rory’s Restaurant, and owner Bryan Malcarney, while they explored the “Guilded Age Fashion” exhibit and the entire Darien Historical Society space with its revolutionary history.
The Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Cheryl Williams. Since Cheryl joined the Chamber in 2016 Cheryl has become an instrumental member of the DCC organization and the Board of Directors. Cheryl has been the Marketing Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Executive Board in 2018 and 2019 and currently is the Chairman of the Board. Cheryl has also been the Co-Chair of the DCC Wine & Food Tasting event in 2017, 2018 & 2019. In addition, Cheryl volunteers to help out with subcommittees, offers her marketing background expertise, and gives thoughtful counsel to the DCC on its strategic direction. The Business of the Year was awarded to Noble House Media Group. Accepting the award at the event were Gregg Soltesz and Peter Belbita, co-founders of Noble House and who have donated their time and expertise to educating chamber members on using digital media and strategies to expand their business. Noble House Media Group has been a true marketing partner for the Darien Chamber of Commerce for its website design and digital media presence. The Employee of the Year award is given to an employee of a chamber member who has been nominated for exemplary service to the business he or she works for. It is based on the qualities of delivering excellent customer service, loyalty and trust and is given in memory of Stephen F. Zangrillo, founder of the Darien Sport Shop who built his business based on these attributes. This year the committee chose April Riordan, Director of Business Operations at Wings Unlimited as the recipient. Each award winner was recognized with a “Proclamation” from Jayme Stevenson, First Selectman.
The Mission of the Darien Chamber of Commerce is to take a leadership position in promoting the business community and the quality of life in Darien. The DCC is generously sponsored by Elite Sponsors Bankwell and DR Bank and Select Sponsor-First County Bank-throughout the year.
Photo shows left to right: April Riordan- Wings Unlimited, Susan Cator-Darien Chamber of Commerce, Gregg Soltesz-Noble House Media Group, Cheryl Williams-Halstead CT, Peter Belbita-Noble House Media Group.