• Lowery, Plato honored as Man and Woman of the Year; Sturma is Volunteer of the Year; Hobbs takes reins as Central Baldwin Chamber Board President for 2016

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — The Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce “Let the Good Times Roll” at its 40^th Annual Banquet held Thursday night, Jan. 21 at the Baldwin County Coliseum in Robertsdale.

Incoming Board President Tim Hobbs of Baldwin EMC said he felt the theme of this year’s annual celebration for Chamber members meant more than just Mardi Gras.

“When we were deciding on a theme for this year’s banquet, we picked from a list and we picked ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ because this is the time of year we celebrate Mardi Gras,” he said. “But to me, ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ is more than just Mardi Gras. It’s because of the expectation of growth for the coming year. I think 2016 is going to be the best year yet for the Central Baldwin Chamber.”

An estimated crowd of over 400 attended this year’s banquet, which celebrates the year’s successes and announces the focus of the coming year.

Evelyn Lowery, longtime educator and volunteer, was honored as the Chamber’s Woman of the Year, while local businessman Jeff Plato garnered Man of the Year honors during Thursday night’s awards ceremony.  Dolores Sturma was also honored as this year’s Volunteer of the Year.

Presenting sponsor for this year’s event is Baldwin EMC. Additional sponsors were: Diamond Sponsors: Central Baldwin Immediate Care & Family Practice and Cain’s Piggly Wiggly Cost Plus; Gold Sponsors: Riviera Utilities, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Golden Living Center, Robertsdale Dental Care, Budweiser-Busch Distributing Co., Power Productions and Baldwin County Sewer Service. Silver Sponsors: Johnson, Slaughter, Driver & Northcutt, P.A., Mack Funeral Home,  and the Baldwin County Cattle & Fair Association. Bronze Sponsors: Franklin Primary Health Center, Gruenloh & Associates, Pen Air Federal Credit Union, Citizens’ Bank, Hamm Enterprises and Stastka Insurance.

The event kicked off with social hour featuring a silent auction, music, hors d’oeuvres and adult beverages. There was also a 50/50 drawing, along with several drawings for smaller ticket items, including a 32-inch Visio television and a 32-ounce Yeti cup, leading up to a featured raffle drawing for a Henry Golden Boy Military Service Tribute Edition rifle donated by Campbell Hardware in Robertsdale.

A short presentation on the newest Chamber benefit, the “Save Local Now” program which is free for all chamber members, was also included in this year’s program.

Dinner was catered again this year by Café Acadiana of Silverhill. DJ Jim Parker provided jazz music as entertainment for the event.

Each of the four municipalities also presented “Business of the Year” awards during Thursday night’s event. Award winners included:

Silverhill: The Porch, presented to owner Alan Lipscomb.

Robertsdale: Furniture City, presented to Jonathan and Joe Kitchens.

Loxley: Rick’s Gun and Pawn, presented to owner Richard Lowell.

Summerdale: Xplor Liquidations, presented to owner Gerald Hughes.

Outgoing board members, including 2014 board president David Garbo of Firetrol Systems, retired professional Charlie Crocker, Kevin McCandless of a Fairhope Find, Deborah Morrow of PenAir Federal Credit Union and Patti Thames of Thomas Hospital, were also honored during the event, as well as incoming board members for 2016.

The evening culminated in the passing of the gavel from 2015 board president Carl Davis to 2016 president Tim Hobbs.

The Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce includes more than 300 members throughout Baldwin County. For more information visit centralbaldwin.com, visit the chamber office at 23150 Highway 59 at the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 in Robertsdale or call the chamber office at 251-947-2626.