On April 15, the Greater Douglas Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2011 Recognition Dinner at the Douglas Golf & Social Club, located at 1372 E. Fairway Drive. During the celebration, the Chamber presented the Man and Woman of the Year for 2011 as well as honored New, Small and Large Business of the year. It also took the opportunity to give a special recognition to the City of Douglas and to the Mexican Consulate for all their involvement and assistance in the Douglas Community.
 Francisco Barrios/Douglas Dispatch Margie and Tommy Zamora from Mi Ranchito have been involved as a business with several local organizations that have needed their help. Mi Ranchito received the Small Business of the Year 2011 from Holly Berryhill. |
The Chamber also participated with the Downtown Revitalization Project. As the old Phelps Dodge building will be given new life as the County Service Center, according to Merrit it was very important that the Chamber find itself involved with the project.
It was also mentioned that the Chamber advocated for the re-routing of the entrance into Agua Prieta. The Chamber worked with the City and the merchants to find what appears to be a pleasant compromise for all parts involved. The road will be repaved in the fall after permanent work is completed on the infrastructure.
Other actions implemented by the Chamber of Commerce are:
· The Shop Local, Shop Douglas First Campaign.
· The Tourism Plan in partnership with the City of Douglas.
· Vamos a Douglas buses run by the Catholic Community Services in partnership with the City, South Eastern Arizona Medical Center and Arizona Department of Transportation.
· Supported the transition to the local collection of sales taxes to the City
· Working towards establishing a DHS Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Kathleen Gomez thanked the crowd for attending to the event and recognized special guests in the audience such as Mary Ellen Dunlap, Clerk of the Superior Court; Ann English, County Supervisor; Mayor Dr. Michael Gomez and Mrs. Gomez; Council members Mitch Lindemann, Margaret Morales and Ivan Huish; Oscar Antonio De La Torre, Mexican Consul; Raul Garcia, Deputy Consul; Mrs. Francis Rios; Leonardo Samaniego; Felipe Serna Rivera; Alberto Melis, Police Chief, Mario Novoa, Fire Chief as well as City of Douglas Department Heads.
She also took the chance to thank all the sponsors for this year’s event; which included Arizona Lifeline; Bank of America; Copper Queen Hospital; Douglas Dispatch; Douglas Unified School District; Freeport McMoRan; Southwest Gas; Well Fargo Bank; Alex Espinoza’s Funeral Homes; Ames Diversified; B&D Lumber; Border Mart; Brown Page Mortuary; Burk’s Towing and Auto Repair; Casa Enrique Uniforms; Chiricahua Health Centers; Cochise Insurance Center; Cox Communication; Dairy Queen of Southern Arizona; Douglas Dairy Queen; Decorating Den Interiors; Douglas Realty Group; Edward Jones Investments; Everett J. Jones Real Estate; Lawley Automotive Group; Mayor Dr. Michael Gomez and Windy Gomez; Dr. Kristine Gomez; La Fiesta Caf©; Lapre Scali & Company; KDAP F.M. 96.5; Southeast Arizona Medical Center and Two Flags Computer.
After the appreciation showed to Sponsors and special guests, it was time to give a special recognition to New, Small, and Large Business of the Year for 2011.
Caffenio
Opening its doors in November 2009, Caffenio has been very active in the community, promoting several cultural activities that involve the entire community. Working closely with the Mexican Consulate, Caffenio promotes the First Friday cultural event. The idea behind this is that every person with a talent to share can join in the group the first Friday of each month and expose their talents to the public.
Maria Fernanda Elias, Manager of Caffenio, notes that Caffenio wants to contribute to make Douglas a better place to live and to become a relaxing and nice place to gather with your friends and family. She accepted the honor of New Business of the Year.
Mi Ranchito
Margie and Tommy Zamora opened Mi Ranchito in 1998. Mi Ranchito has been always supported the House of Hope sponsoring the Annual Progressive Dinner with prime rib and cooking and serving plates. Mi Ranchito has also been involved with the Little League, Termite, T-Ball, Cheerleading, Football, All Star for Baseball and Softball. Margie and Tommy Zamora accepted the honor of Small Business of the Year.
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart opened its doors in July of 1992. Many organizations have been beneficiaries of the generosity of Douglas Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart expressed “Let people know that Wal-Mart is Douglas proud.”
· Wal-Mart employs 350 people and pays almost 2 million in city taxes.
· It donated $15,000 in cash donations to Douglas Non-Profits.
· Total of donations of $135,938 in products to Douglas community.
A special recognition was given to Oscar Antonio De La Torre and to the Mexican Consulate for their involvement with the community by bringing every kind of cultural activities they can think about. From film festivals, guitar concerts, to Mexican holiday’s festivities and workshops, the Mexican Consulate has the purpose of strengthen the relationship between United States and Mexico.
The City of Douglas also received a special recognition from the Chamber of Commerce for their support during the past year. Meritt said “The support of the City to the Chamber has been immeasurable. This is symbiotic relationship that has strengthened over the last two years. The Chamber owes its gratitude to the vision of the City, especially Curtis Shook, for his assistance and support.”
Comments