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Chamber announces Top Brass Award winners

Raelyn WestleyGlenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association

The Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association is proud to announce the 2004 Top Brass award winners. The recipients will be honored during the Chambers 17th Annual Awards Luncheon set for noon on Thursday, April 29, at the Hotel Colorado. The Top Brass award recognizes business and personal achievements, business expansions or milestones accomplished by local individuals and companies during January and December of the previous year. The Top Brass business honorees and their achievements include:Steve Weller, owner of Abbey Carpet, started his business by selling flooring merchandise out of the back of his van. Eventually, Steve moved out of his van and into a small store in West Glenwood, where he was located for several years. He also expanded into building a showroom in Grand Junction. Steve recently moved his West Glenwood store into a larger store on South Grand Avenue with a fabulous showroom.All Kids Dental, P.C., specializing in pediatric dentistry and, owned by Dr. & Mrs. Henry, occupies the second floor of the American National Bank Building by the Sunlight Bridge. This purchase expanded their practice from 1400 sq ft to over 5000 sq ft. They have a one-of- a-kind space-aged theme in their waiting area that is fun for children and parents alike. Alpine Bank, was recently recognized as one of Colorados Best Companies for Working Families by Colorado Parent magazine. In the magazines October 2003 edition, Alpine Bank won under the Medium Business category for their Wellness Bucks program. Under the program, a full-time Alpine Bank employee can earn up to $1000 extra per year by participating in wellness activities in the areas of physical health, mental health, safety and active parenting. Bob Young is the President of the local branch.Best Value Inn & Suites, owned by Al and Linda Stoltzfus was voted the Best of the Best-Overall Excellence at Best Value Inns 5th National Educational Conference and Trade Show in December of 2003. This coveted award honors the property who fully participated in the Best Value Inn Brand program; served the Advisory Board or Advertising Council, utilized the marketing programs, had a low incidence of customer complaints, maintained a high quality assurance score and strongly supported the Brand. Debra Drew, Edward Jones Insurance, has been located in Glenwood Springs for two years. During this time she has increased her business by 145%. She offers educational seminars to businesses and residents of the valley covering topics such as retirement planning, the ABCs of Investing and Smart Women/Couples Finish Rich. Drew builds relationships with her clients by being available when they need her, including evenings, Saturdays and even meets with her clients at their home or place of business. Drew believes it is important that people understand why they invest in a specific investment and how that investment is structured. The 5,000 square feet Kwal Paint building, located at 309 19th Street, sat empty for one and a half years until Sam Taylor took over and renamed the business Glenwood Paint, Inc. Taylor is also owner of Summit Paint and Decorating in Basalt and has been in the paint business since 1989. In expanding from one to two stores, Taylor now serves the entire Roaring Fork Valley. KDNK received a $244,000 grant from the Public Telecommunications Facility program that will fund half the cost of a new radio tower on Sunlight Peak. The tower will be shared by KDNK, KAJX and Denver- based Colorado Public Radio. The tower will strengthen the KDNK signal, expand the broadcast region of KAJX and allow Colorado Public Radio to broadcast 24 hours a day. Mary Suma is the station manager.Bill Pinkham owner of Kuka Kennels, Inc. and two-time Iditarod competitor, operates Kuka Kennels as a dog sled tour operation located at Four Mile Park in the White River National Forest. During the winter, his dog-sled teams take riders on scenic 11-mile runs into the high country reaching 9,000 feet in elevation. These tours give winter tourists one more reason to spend an extra day in Glenwood Springs.Family Restaurants of Denver, opened a very successful restaurant on April 25, 2003 at a North Glenwood location; Qdoba Mexican Grill. The building had been empty for two years. Qdoba is one of the hottest concepts in quality fast-casual Mexican cuisine. All of their lunch and dinner entrees are prepared made-to- order right in front of your eyes. Jeff Warner is the general manager.Ken Robinson with Roaring Fork Liquors doubled his retail space during 2003. Robinson is being recognized for his generosity in arranging wine tastings to benefit many non-profits in the valley. These include Advocate Safehouse, Lift-Up, Center for the Arts, the Affordable Housing Project, Colorado Animal Rescue, and Mountain Valley Developmental Services. Ken donates the wine, and all of the proceeds are given to the organizations.The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority received statewide recognition by receiving the Large Transit System of the Year Award from the Colorado Association of Transit Agencies in September, 2003 for its innovative and creative services to the community in supplying safe and reliable service. The agency was cited for extending service to Rifle, Silt and New Castle, for decreasing the traffic accident rate by over 30% in 2003, and for promoting a cooperative approach to meeting the Roaring Fork Valleys transportation needs. Dan Blakenship is the director.Chris Tribble owner of Versatile Productions received international recognition as the winner of the 2003 Summit Creative Awards competition from among 3,000 entries from 17 countries. The award recognized his production of the fund raising video for the LAPS campaign (Lets All Pledge) to build our community swimming pool. In addition, he received two Telly Awards, one for the LAPS video, and the other for the creation of the Chambers marketing video, Make Some History of Your Own.


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