The Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce will announce the winners of their Annual 2020 Business and Community Awards. In an attempt to help promote October as “Chamber of Commerce” month, the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce will hold a special awards, sponsored by Community Bank, NA, to recognize the winners of the awards.

“The environment and challenges of the pandemic continue to impact our events. And this event will unfortunately be no different. For the health and safety of all, we decided to move this event from in-person to virtual” explains Chamber President Mary Malone.

The virtual program will take place Thursday, November 19th from 11:45 to 1:00 via zoom. Online registration is required at www.hazletonchamber.org, in order to receive an invite to the event. It is free to participate.

Winners will be announced in the following categories.

The Small Business of the Year Award is sponsored by Comfort Keepers. The purpose of this award is to show appreciation and recognition to small businesses in the Greater Hazleton Area and promote the importance of small businesses to the economy and welfare of the entire community. Eligible applicants included any Chamber member business that has no more than 50 full-time employees and is located in the Greater Hazleton area. Judging was based on staying power, growth, community contribution, and overall management philosophy.

The Large Business of the Year Award is sponsored by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. The purpose of the award is to show appreciation and recognition to a large business in the Greater Hazleton and promote the importance of large businesses to the economy and welfare of the community. Eligible applicants included any Chamber member business that has more than 50 full-time employees and is located in the Greater Hazleton Area. Judging was based on staying power, growth, community contribution, and overall management philosophy.

The Volunteer of the Year Award in memory of Rocco Colangelo Sr. is sponsored by Fyzical Therapy & Balance Center at Hazleton. The purpose of this award is to extend appreciation to and honor an individual volunteer or volunteers within the Greater Hazleton Area and to promote the importance of volunteerism to the community at large. Eligible applicants included any resident of the Greater Hazleton Area that participates in volunteer work or community service not required by their place of employment.

The Pride of Place Award is sponsored by Tri-Mountain Ventures. The purpose of this award is to recognize local businesses or organizations whose exterior property physically improves or enhances the community and environment in the Greater Hazleton Area. Eligible applicants included any Chamber member business that was located in the Greater Hazleton Area, and the structure must be a commercial or public building.

The Healthy Workplace of the Year Award is sponsored by Lehigh Valley Hospital - Hazleton. The purpose of this award is to recognize a business in the Greater Hazleton Area who is adopting wellness practices into their workplace. Eligible applicants included any Chamber member business located within the Greater Hazleton Area and judging was based on strength and creativity of their workplace wellness initiatives.

The Green Business of the Year is sponsored by Hayden Power Group. The purpose of this award is to recognize local businesses or organizations who are adopting “green initiatives” within their workplace.

The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner is sponsored by CAN BE. The purpose of this award is to promote the development of future business owners and operators in Greater Hazleton.

According to John Patton, Chamber Board member and Awards Program Chairman, “We have initiated these awards to highlight businesses that are located in the Greater Hazleton Area, and to recognize the important role that volunteers play in our community. The judging was extremely difficult with many excellent applicants in each category. However, I feel that the judges made excellent choices with the above-mentioned winners.”

In addition to the business and community awards, the women’s networking committee will be awarding the recipients of their annual Women’s Empowerment Grants. This grant was established to encourage women to pursue training or education that will help them start or advance a career. The target of the grant is women who: are currently working and want to advance in their career through education or training; are returning to the workforce; are seeking to change their current career path and pursue something more in line with their interests or passions and it is intended to be available to those who would not necessarily have access to scholarships or grants. The funds are raised at events coordinated through the Chamber’s women’s networking committee throughout the year, in addition to funding provided by PPL, who has been a supporter of this grant fund, since its inception. The Women’s Networking committee as well as any business woman from throughout Greater Hazleton is encouraged to attend to show their support of this years recipients.