CRESTVIEW — Incoming Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce President Dennis Mitchell says that supporting local businesses means working outside city limits, too.
"Our chamber has made a point of thinking big and thinking regional," Mitchell said Saturday during a new-officers installation dinner at the Crestview Community Center. "It isn't just about Crestview … Today there are no economic islands. Parochial thinking is like a deadly virus to a vibrant economy."
See a photo gallery from the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce installation banquet >>
Past chamber presidents Derek Lott, Mike Roy, Craig Shaw, Dan Bowers Jr. and immediate past-president Karen Hardell passed Mitchell his ceremonial gavel after Mayor David Cadle administered the oaths of office.
Joining the chamber's leadership are president-elect Alicia Booker, North Okaloosa Medical Center; secretary-treasurer Phyllis Enzor, Enzor Management; vice president for membership Marian McBride, Okaloosa Title and Abstract; vice president for strategic development Craig Shaw, Shaw Moving and Storage; vice president for community services Paul Lowry, LPL Financial; and vice president of events Chris Daggs, Hub City Ford.
New board members are David Colón, Fred Astaire Dance Studio; Lynn Yort, Waste Management; Christie Cadenhead, FNBT.com; Lynn Dominique, Revive Media; and Katie Sharon, Coastal Bank and Trust.
Cadenhead was also announced as the Triple-B festival organizing committee’s new chairperson.
With big band music and a Mardi Gras theme, the new chamber krewe "let the good times roll" as they took the lead in the region's business community.
Mitchell, a retired Troy University faculty member and economist, chose the evening’s Carnival theme.
Special Awards
Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Past-President Karen Hardell presented the organization's annual awards. Recipients were:
•Brian Hughes, News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor, Dr. W.J. "Doc" Burrows Citizen of the Year
•Dino Sinopoli, Re/Max Agency One, Robert L.F. "Bob" Sikes Military Advocacy Award
•Mary Richardson, A Grand Elegance, Member of the Year
•Leon Daggs and family, Hub City Ford, Business of the Year
•President's Awards: Dr. Pam Meadows, Rae Schwartz, Paul Lowery, and David Colón and Erica Moreno.
•Special recognition: Frank and Betty Brooks on their retirement
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New Crestview chamber president: think big, think regional (PHOTOS)