Businesses, citizens honored

The Chamber of Commerce held their annual banquet at the Fair Building last Saturday. The event was keynote by renowned authors W. Michael and Kathleen Gear, who spoke on the subject of censorship.

Chamber President Howie Samelson made an announcement that Chamber Director Meri Ann Rush is now the Chief Executive Officer. 

Rush said about the Gears, "When we were planning the 100th Annual Chamber Banquet and decided on the theme "Hats Off-Dr. Seuss", it was suggested to have Mike and Kathy be our guest speakers. I was excited when they agreed to be our speaker. When asked what I would like them to talk about, I said I didn't have a preference. It was suggested censorship, since that was what brought them to Thermopolis and I thought it was a great topic. Mike and Kathy are great speakers and do a lot for Thermopolis. Thank you, Barb Heinze, for your help in asking them."

The Chamber also gave out the 2020 awards for Business of the Year, which was Ryan Brothers Trucking, Inc. Rush said, "Long standing business (over 60 years) family owned, valuable service in community, one of the biggest employers in the county that has been providing stable, great jobs for a long time." 

For the 2020 Non-Profit Organization of the Year, Main Street Thermopolis picked up the prize. Rush said, "Their efforts for the shop safe/shop smart campaign & providing hand sanitizing stands throughout Thermopolis. They have been an affiliate community since 2015."

For the 2020 Citizen of the Year, there were two awards given, for Dood Jaussaud and Hannah Brooks. Jaussaud was not present at the time of the event, however Rush said, "Jaussaud is great at getting community involvement. He took on the push-up challenge for PTSD and made national news, got the community involved and challenged first responders. He helped start the cruising when everybody needed to get out." Also, for Brooks Rush said, "This person is more than a lunch lady. When schools closed, she made sure all the kids in Hot Springs County were fed. No days off for her all through the summer feeding families.

Additionally, the 2020 President's Award was given to the Incident Management Team. Dr. Vernon Miller accepted the award on behalf of the team, which also includes Tricia McPhie and Bill and Mary Gordon.