The Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce and Flint & Genesee Convention and Visitors Bureau will recognize business excellence and community leadership at the fifth-annual Art of Achievement Awards. Nearly 60 businesses and organizations, along with 110 individuals, have been nominated for recognition at the sold-out presentation gala Nov. 8 at the Flint Institute Arts, which begins at 5:30 p.m.
The following individuals and companies are nominees in the business category:
CEO Business Award – Any company with 50 or more employees.
- McLaren Flint
- STAT Emergency Medical Services
- Whaley Children’s Center
Small Business Award – Any company with less than 50 employees.
- Cork on Saginaw
- Destinations To Travel
- Gaines Jewelers
- Genesee Valley Physical Therapy
- Goodboy Clothing
- Grossi Dental and Wellness
- Knob Hill Bed & Breakfast
- Jan’s Professional Dry Cleaners
- McFarlan Home
- McFarlan Villages
- Park Place Hair Studio
- Peerless Mattress Co.
- Rayburn Real Estate
- ReMax Edge/Ryan Eshoo
- Sedgwick + Ferweda Architects
- Spud Software
- Stanley’s Moving
- The Good Beans Café
Minority Owned Business Award – Any minority-owned business in the community.
- Artistic Visions Enterprise
- Eight Ten Nail Bar
- Harambee Wellness
- Sheldon T. Banks
- Spectacular Spudz
- The Cookie Jar
- WT Stevens
Nonprofit Impact Award – Any charity, church or nonprofit making great strides to positively impact any facet of the Flint and Genesee community.
- Alzheimer Association – Greater Michigan Chapter, Flint Office
- Communities First, Inc.
- Ele’s Place
- Ennis Center for Children
- Faith Foundations Resources
- Flint & Genesee Literacy Network
- McFarlan Charitable Corp.
- National Alliance on Mental Illness Genesee Co.
- Odyssey House
- Re Connections
- The Church of the Holy Family-Grand Blanc
- Community Foundation of Greater Flint
- The Disability Network
- University of Michigan-Flint, Office of University Outreach
- Valley Area Agency on Aging
- Voices for Children Advocacy Center (Formerly Weiss Child Advocacy Center)
- Wellness Services
- Young Life Genesee County
- Zonta Club of Flint
Young Professional Leader Award – Any young professional 35 or younger making great strides to benefit their company and/or the community.
- Brittney Carmichael
- Claudnyse Holloman
- DeWaun Robinson
- Douglas Lobdell
- Elyse Jurvelin
- Joseph G. Mounger
- Kalita McClure
- Kurt Neiswender
- Nancy Galant
- Noelle Kennedy
Claire M. White Award – Honoring a woman working for the betterment of Flint & Genesee in community, career or someone else’s life.
- Amy Krug
- Ashoka Rao
- Cathy Gentry
- Crystal Pepperdine
- Debra Morgan
- Susan Borrego
- Wendy Ringo
- Erica Thrash-Sall
- Heather Kale
- Jessyca Matthews
- Karen West
- Kenyetta Dotson
- Mary Flynn
- Shannon Bonadurer
- Tiffany J. Quinn
The following companies and individuals are nominees in the hospitality category:
Hotel of the Year – This award recognizes a Genesee County hotel for its outstanding service, comfort and attention to hotel guests, providing an excellent overall experience.
- Baymont Inn & Suites
- Best Western Plus Flint Airport Inn & Suites
- Courtyard Flint/Grand Blanc
- Hampton Inn & Suites Flint/Grand Blanc
- Holiday Inn Flint-Grand Blanc Area
- Knights Inn Flint
- Knob Hill Bed & Breakfast
- Quality Inn Grand Blanc
Restaurant of the Year – Recognizes a Genesee County restaurant for their outstanding service, menu and overall experience of the customer.
- Blondie’s Food & Spirits
- Cork on Saginaw
- Krystal Jo’s Diner
- Steady Eddy’s
- The Lunch Studio
Frontline Ambassador Award – This award recognizes a hospitality worker – front desk staff, host/hostess, housekeeper, guest services and maintenance – in a Genesee County hotel who provides outstanding service to guests staying at their establishment. The nominees are:
Baymont Inn & Suites
- Sarah McWhirter
- Elias Najjar
- Jessica Poppenfuse
- Celia Vela
- Juliana Zuraqiat
Best Western Flint Airport Inn & Suites
- Jeanette Anderson, CTA
- Diana Baricska, CTA
- Shuronda Brown
- Andy Charles
- Rebecca Fortune
- Matthew Hensel
- Maryanne Harden
- Avante Hatter, CTA
- Ronnica Jones
- Damon Kelso
- Elizabeth Morris, CTA
- Mykal Oyler
- Kayla Simmons
- Kenisha Spencer, CTA
- Jessica VanDeMark
- Rhonda Williams
Courtyard Flint/Grand Blanc
- Chelsea Alm-Shangi
- Jazzmyn Blackwell
- Heather Coon
- Jacob Hoover
- Katie Koenig
- Dawn Lynch
- Khalilah Robinson
- Tamieka Tucker
- Kay Walker
- Linze Wilkerson
- Jeff Woody
- Deonna Wynn
Hampton Inn & Suites Flint/Grand Blanc
- Breanna Bettencourt
- Marie Bracey
- Geraldine Geske
- Ethan Irish, CTA
- Ramona Johnson
- Megan Mannor
- Fran McGinnis
- Lois Miller
- Twan Roland
Holiday Inn Flint-Grand Blanc Area
- Nick Anderson
- Sheryl Champine
- Katie Hinman
- Christina Kincaid
- Mary Kramer
- Krista Mayhew
- Tony Meyer
- Tammy Ranaldi
- Erica Smalls
Knights Inn-Flint
- Melissa Lewis, CTA
- Rhonda Myers
- Tacarra Sanders
- Jay Wilcox
Knob Hill Bed & Breakfast
- Allan Griggs
- Diana Phillips
Quality Inn Grand Blanc
- Dana Chaney
- Dominique Cobbin
- Amanda Green
- Christopher Kellogg
- Holly Rosser
- Sheila Williams
- Traci Wing, CTA
Residence Inn Flint-Grand Blanc
- Breanna Britt
Rodeway Inn Airport
- Michelle Barry
Wingate by Wyndham Flint/Grand Blanc
- Ty Toles
Hospitality Ambassador Award – Recognizes exemplary customer service in the non-hotel areas of food service, bartender, transportation, business, etc.
- Launa Collins, CTA, UM-Flint, Event & Building Services
- Shanique Collins, J. Porter’s
- Lilie Eckman, UM-Flint, Event & Building Services
- Jack Johnson, UM-Flint, Event & Building Services
- Savanna Lacey, J. Porter’s
- Shannon Leach, Cork on Saginaw
- Rodney Lontine, Flint Institute of Music
- Nate Lundt, UM-Flint, Event & Building Services
- Lindsay Miller, Cork on Saginaw
- Amy Nason, The Lunch Studio
- Justin Nuveman, UM-Flint, Event & Building Services
- Crystal Quaderer, UM-Flint, Event & Building Services
- Darci Racette, Cork on Saginaw
- Ann Reith, Cork on Saginaw
- John Saites, Churchill’s Food & Spirits
- Scott Sassack, Great Harvest Bread Company
- Drew Thornton, Cork on Saginaw
- Bobby Tidwell, Hoffman’s Deco Deli & Café
In addition, the Chamber will present several special honors at the gala, including:
- Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) of the Year
- Community Champion Award
- Economic Development Project of the Year
- Entertainment Venue of the Year
- Gloria DeHart Award
- Robert P. Gerholz Award
- Art Hurand Award
- Charles Stewart Mott Award