The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the results of the Annual Community Awards survey nominees. The Chamber will conduct a final vote cast through its membership to determine the winners in each category. The Community Awards winners will be announced and recognized at the Chamber's 55th Annual Awards Dinner and Meeting to be held at the Newagen Seaside Inn on Thursday, June 8 from 5 to 8 pm.

Chamber members will be emailed a ballot of the nominees next week. This is an opportunity for members to select the individuals and businesses that make a significant contribution to the economic development and quality of life we enjoy here in our Region.

The featured speaker for this year's Annual Dinner and Meeting is TED speaker, Jess Knox. Knox is a growth consultant and founder of Olympico Strategies, which helps organizations achieve their goals. In 2009, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Small Business Administration’s Associate Administrator for Field Operations in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the delivery of all SBA programs through a network of 119 offices and 1,000 employees. Jess is involved with a number of community-building ventures, including Startup Portland, Maine Startup & Create Week, and, most recently, Maine Accelerates Growth. His passion is centered on helping entrepreneurs find their voices and to encourage them to take the necessary risks to build their businesses from the ground up, all while keeping an emphasis on the community in which the small business is trying to create itself. We are looking forward to listening and learning with Jess.

The Chamber is seeking sponsorships to help honor the 2017 Community Award recipients. Please contact the Chamber at 207-633-2353 if your business in interested in sponsoring this year’s event.

Below is a listing of each category and the nominees selected through the Community Survey. Congratulations and "thank you" to each nominee.

Business Improvement Award

• Harborside Tavern
• The Carriage House Restaurant
• Waves Restaurant
• The Thistle Inn
• Mary Auld Tea Company

Community Service Award

• The Community Center
• Boothbay Region Community Resource Council
• Boothbay Region YMCA
• The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor/Susan Brackett
• Janson’s Clothing Store/Betty Jeanne Maddocks

Environmental Leader

• Boothbay Region Land Trust
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
• Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
• Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District

Customer Service Award

• Bath Savings Institution (Boothbay Harbor)
• Kaler’s Restaurant
• Balmy Days Cruises
• Janson’s Clothing Store
• Hannaford Supermarket (Boothbay Harbor)
• Eventide Specialties

Community Improvement

• The Community Center
• Boothbay Region Community TV/Cody Mitchell
• Boothbay Harbor Country Club
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
• Boothbay Region Community Resource Council

Special Volunteer Award

• Jane Good
• Susan Brackett
• Holly Stover
• Peter Ripley
• Sue Burge
• Sarah Giles
• Gerry Gamage
• Mary Patch