Poway chamber seats officers, honors members
New officers were installed and local businesses leaders honored at the Poway Chamber of Commerce’s annual recognition and awards dinner held June 23 at Hampton Inn & Suites.
Mayor Steve Vaus installed the 2016-17 executive committee which includes Jack Cohen as chair, Debi Klingner, chair-elect and chief financial officer, Cathy Peterson, immediate past chair and Linda Goycochea, past chair. Board directors include Skip Baker, Mark Boll, Anita Edmondson, Cynthia Elizondo, Dennis Garegnani, Art Gladue, Bob Krans, Lynn McConville, Dan Meyer, Jon Musgrove, Susie Vaughn, Jay Virata and Nancy Watson.
The Business of the Year Award went to Jersey Mike’s Subs. Steve Leonard and Fred Downey own nine Jersey Mike’s Subs locations in Southern California and one in Utah, with plans to expand. Leonard is the area developer for the Inland Empire, where he oversees 35 franchisees, along with Utah, Washington, Idaho and Montana. In 2013 he opened his first location in Poway at Scripps Poway Parkway and Pomerado Road. Last year, Jersey Mike’s opened its second store at the corner of Twin Peaks and Pomerado roads. Between the two stores they currently have 28 employees.
Since 2010 Leonard and Downey have worked with local schools, youth programs, charitable organizations and churches to help raise over $200,000.
Cathy Peterson was the recipient of the Vern Marston Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2012, Peterson was named chair-elect of the chamber. After her first year as chair, with no clear candidate to follow her, Peterson agreed to serve as for a second year. Under her leadership, the chamber added 12 new board members. Peterson initiated the idea of the Connections groups. She and Dan Meyer spearheaded the first Mickey Cafagna Golf Classic, of which she was a major sponsor. When the chamber office computers broke down, Peterson bought new ones.
The New Business of the Year Award went to Guitar Aces. Owner Mike Slayen joined the chamber in July 2015 and joined the Spring Family Festival Committee, where he took charge of the Community Stage performances. He is a member of the Connections group and recently joined the Government Affairs Committee. Slayen has been teaching guitar for over 25 years, and has been in Poway for 17. Through his recent chamber membership he has partnered with Green Flash Brewery and other members, and has taken advantage of his chamber membership to increase business, while also giving back to the community.
The Community Leadership Award was presented to Lynn Wolsey of Lynn Wolsey Graphic Designs. Wolsey joined the Poway Chamber in 1997 and dedicated many years to both the chamber and Poway community. She worked for the Poway Center for the Performing Arts Foundation and is part of the theatre management team for PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theatre, where she is has produced of several plays and does everything from public relations, construction and running lights. She has been a dedicated volunteer at Old Poway Park since it opened, and edits the park newspaper, creates, displays, and sells her own work at the Poway Arts and Crafts Guild Boardwalk Craft Market. For the past eight years she has organized Once Upon a Hallowe’en, an event that grew from 300 attendees in the first year to more than 4,500 last year.
Wolsey is a member of Poway CERT (the Community Emergency Response Team) and is president of the Ed Brown Senior Center Board of Directors in Rancho Bernardo and is the chamber’s marketing coordinator.