5th annual Spolight Awards in Douglas County honor businesses

Seven Douglas County businesses, including two from the South Shore, were recently honored during the 5th annual Spotlight Awards, recognizing their contributions to the community.

The awards were given at the Critical Issues Conference held on Thursday, September 27 and recognized businesses in the following categories: retail, restaurant, manufacturing and production, sports and recreation, entrepreneur, business and professional service, and tourism and hospitality.

“The Spotlight Awards are the County’s opportunity to shed light on those businesses investing in our community and choosing to do business in here,” said the Douglas County Economic Vitality Manager, Lisa Granahan. “We are recognizing them to acknowledge their value to the community and to say thank you.”

The businesses were selected based on achieving some or many of the following eligible criteria:

1. Are unique and marketable
2. Are involved in the community or business community
3. Are investing in their businesses
4. Have exhibited ability to partner with public and/or non-profit sector
5. Have developed or refined their business plans
6. Taking steps to provide employee training or growth opportunities

Selections were made based on staff knowledge and input from business community organizations such as the local Chambers of Commerce, the Main Street Gardnerville, the Nevada Small Business Development Center, and the Business Council of Douglas County.

Both the Chart House and Caesars Entertainment from the South Shore of Lake Tahoe were honored. They join the other five businesses with Spotlight Awards:

• Retail Spotlight- Joyce's Fine Jewelry
• Entrepreneur Spotlight- Eddy Street Vintage Market
• Restaurant Spotlight - The Chart House
• Sports & Recreation Spotlight – Angler’s Edge
• Business & Professional Service Spotlight - Petroleum Card Services
• Tourism & Hospitality Spotlight - Caesars Entertainment
• Manufacturing and Production Spotlight- Starbucks Coffee Company

Each winner received an engraved lantern with a glowing flameless candle symbolic of keeping the Economic Vitality torch lit in creating a “Community to Match the Scenery.”

In photo, the 2018 Business Spotlight Award Winners, left to right:

1.Manufacturing & Production Spotlight
Starbucks Coffee Company
Todd McCullough, Western Regional Director of Distribution Restaurant Spotlight

2.Business & Professional Services Spotlight
Petroleum Card Services
Liz Concannon, Vice President Operations & Lori Griboski, Vice President of PCS Sales

3.Retail Spotlight
Joyce’s Fine Jewelry
Krissie Haliwell, daughter and third generation business member

4.Entrepreneur Spotlight
Eddy Street Vintage Market
Meredith Fischer, Owner

5.Restaurant Spotlight
Chart House – Lake Tahoe
Corrine Best, General Manager

6.Tourism & Hospitality Spotlight
Caesars Entertainment
Nicholas Breaux-Fujita, Regional Vice President of Marketing

7.Sports & Recreation Spotlight
The Angler’s Edge
Don and Liz Weirauch, Owners