On Thursday, June 24, the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce gathered at their annual Awards for Excellence Celebration to name this year’s Excellence in Business award winners. This spectacular event was held at Pizzadili Vineyard & Winery and was generously sponsored by H. Scott Connell. A happy crowd eagerly assembled in Pizzadili’s beautiful pavilion, anxious to celebrate excellence!

The CDCC’s award winners were chosen from a pool of nine candidates, first nominated by the membership, then selected by the Excellence in Business Committee, and finally, voted on by the membership. For their heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bayhealth Medical Center was named Large Employer of the Year. For providing an edgy, yet quaint hub for people to gather in the center of downtown Dover, The House of Coffi was named Small Employer of the Year. For his work supporting large infrastructure and capital projects through market research and collateral creation — and his passion for giving back to the community, Jesse Sapp of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation was named Young Professional of the Year.

In addition to the excellence in Business Awards, the CDCC was happy to recognize several other award winners. Maple Dale Country Club was recognized as the CDCC’s Outstanding Partnership of the Year. Kate Greene of IMD4 was recognized as the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. The Outstanding Board Member of the Year was awarded to Lori Llewellyn of My Roots. Erlene George was recognized as the CDCC’s Outstanding Ambassador of the Year. The CDCC’s Economic Development Achievement Award was given to Linda Parkowski, executive director of Kent Economic Partnership. Outgoing board members Sean Mace and Lori Llewellyn were also recognized for their contributions to the board during their time of service. CDCC volunteers were also recognized and thanked during the evening’s festivities. The evening ended with the graduation of the Leadership Central Delaware Class of 2021 and the awarding of the coveted Best in Class trophy to the Class of 2004.

The CDCC wishes to express a heartfelt “thank you” to signature sponsor, H. Scott Connell, for making this event possible. Thank you also to our platinum sponsors: Axia Hotel Group, Century Engineering, Chesapeake Utilities, Dover Federal Credit Union. Harrington Raceway & Casino, Kraft Heinz, L & W Insurance, PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Dover, and R & R Commercial Realty. Thank you to our dinner wine sponsor, Faw Casson. Thank you to our cocktail reception sponsors, Allen Insurance Group/Benefits Connection and Dover Federal Credit Union. Thank you to our media sponsor, Delaware State News.

Thank you to our hors d’oeuvre and dessert sponsors: Burns & Ellis Realtors, Comcast Business, Del-One Federal Credit Union, Dover Pools, Elevations Unlimited, and Shore United Bank. Thank you to our gift sponsors, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation and H. Scott Connell. Thank you to Esther Rich and Special Touch Card Creations for creating the beautiful gift card holders. Thank you to Alex Vaughan for the incredible sound support. And a special thank you to the team at Pizzadili Vineyard & Winery for providing a lovely setting for this event.

The CDCC also wishes to thank everyone for all their support during this past year. Thank you for your gifts of time, encouragement, and partnership. And thank you to everyone for not only an evening excellence, but a year of excellence!

Upcoming events

•Wednesday, June 30: Sunset Business Mixer at Embrace Home Loans, 5-7 p.m.

•Thursday, July 1: Kent County Open for Business at Kent County Levy Court, Room 220, 8:30 – 10 a.m.

•Thursday, July 8: Member Orientation, CDCC Conference Room and via ZOOM, 8:30 – 10 a.m.