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.
— an announcement from the Darien Chamber of Commerce
The awardees were honored at the Annual Meeting with Awards and Holiday Cheer at the Darien Historical Society on Nov. 22.
Photo from Darien Chamber of Commerce
From left: Employee of the Year April Riordan of Wings Unlimited, Susan Cator of the Darien Chamber of Commerce, Gregg Soltesz of Noble House Media Group (Business of the Year), Volunteer of the Year Cheryl Williams of Halstead CT, Peter Belbita of Noble House Media Group.
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.
Volunteer of the Year
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 and 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.
Business of the Year: Noble House Media Group
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.
Employee of the Year: April Riordan
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 First Selectman Jayme Stevenson.
A Certificate of Appreciation was also given to Erica Jensen and Corrie Belardinelli of Helen Ainson for the volunteer time they devote to the Sidewalk Sales Committee and to David Genovese of Baywater Properties for all his support of our small businesses in Darien.
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.