By Ventura Breeze Staff –
The Ventura Chamber of Commerce celebrated the achievements of local businesses and individuals at the 26th Annual Poinsettia Awards Luncheon on December 12, held at the Marriott Ventura Beach. The event recognized outstanding contributions in business, public service, and education.
Award winners included:
- Large Business of the Year – C.D. Lyon
- Mid-Size Business of the Year – Hermance Law
- Small-Size Business of the Year – American Pacific Mortgage (Greg & Sarah Abrams)
- Innovation Award – Ventura Port District and The Port of Hueneme
- Non-Profit of the Year – Ronald McDonald House Family Room
- Young Professional of the Year – Neysa Lopez
- Ambassador of the Year – Karen Campbell
- Volunteer of the Year – Josh Damigo
- Shining Star Award – California Resources Corporation
- Jewel Key Award – Carnitas el Rey
- Citizen of the Year – The Harrison Brothers (Ralph, Myron, and Jim)
In addition, the City of Ventura presented awards for excellence in public service:
- City Leadership Award – Ariana Nelson
- Rising Star Award – Christopher Palacios
- Police Officer of the Year – Detective Stephanie Avila
- Firefighter of the Year – Jeff Edsall
The Ventura Unified School District also honored excellence in education with:
- Elementary Student of the Year – Denise Salazar-Venegas
- Secondary Student of the Year – Ariel Montejano
- Educator of the Year – Christine Wilson
Sponsors for the event included: Montecito Bank & Trust, SoCalGas, AMR, Four Points by Sheraton-Ventura Harbor, Aera Energy, Harrison Industries, Mustang Marketing, Assured Partners of CA, UCLA Health, Ventura County Credit Union, Ventura Auto Center, Southern California Edison, Christina Vanarelli–Your Ventura County Lawyer, Kaiser Permanente, Aegis Living, Bank of the Sierra, Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, California State University Channel Islands, Express Employment Professionals, Museum of Ventura County, Pacific View Mall, Sespe Consulting, The Port of Hueneme, and media sponsors Cumulus Media, Gold Coast Broadcasting, Ventura Breeze, Ventura Adult & Continuing Education, Scaling with Content, Cynthia Bullard Photography, CAPS Media, and Luners Production Services.
The Ventura Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organization that advocates for the business community. With 700 members representing over 25,000 local employees, the Chamber works to drive a strong economy and serves as the Voice of Business.
