WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (February 20, 2019)– The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Allison Smith of Herbafex as chairman of the board of directors for 2019. The incoming chair and the 2019 board of directors were celebrated during the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Gala held on Friday, February 1, 2019, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.
Chairwoman Smith is joined on the board by Jim Bagby of One Seagrove Place, Chelsea Blaich of Grayton Beer Company, Jessica Bracken of Proffitt PR, Ken Bryant of Carter & Company, Graham Campbell-Work of Chautauqua Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Lisa Comeau of SoWal.com, Mark Davis of Clark Partington Attorneys at Law, Jennifer Frost of ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, Jonathan Futrell of Warren Averett, LLC., Dana Hahn of the Howard Group, Megan Harrison of the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Henderson of Southland Utilities Service, Inc, Russell Hughes of Walton County School District, Bill Imfeld of Walton County Economic Development Alliance, Dave Jefferson of Simple HR, Cristie Kedroski of Northwest Florida State College, Jane Kerrigan of Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC., Fred Leopold of Community Bank, DC Matthews of Matthews & Jones LLP, Stacey McGilvray of Hancock Whitney Bank, Santa Rosa Beach, Juliet Milam of Gulf Power Company, Lanier Motes of St. Joe Company, Audie Rowell of Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Tony Steele of the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Jimy Thorpe of A Superior Air Conditioning Company, Jay Tusa of Visit South Walton, Kathy Whidden of Emerald Coast Chiropractic, and Steve Wolfrom of CHELCO.
In addition to naming the new board of directors, the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of several awards voted on by the community. Young Professional of the Year: Jessica Bracken, Proffitt PR; Ambassador of the Year: Patricia and Dennis Lutz; Small Business of the Year North: Habitat for Humanity of Walton County; Small Business of the Year South: Grayton Beer Company; Large Business of the Year: Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa; and the Walton Area Chamber Person of the Year: Jimy Thorpe, A Superior Air Conditioning Company.
The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce also swore in the newly appointed board of directors for the Young Professionals of Walton County. Board members consist of: Chelsea Blaich, Grayton Beer Company; Chelsea Fox, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center; Jessica Plowden, Clutch Media Works; Jeff Provinse, Epic Photo Co.; Jessica Bracken, Proffitt PR; Karah Fridley Young, Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation; Kelly Thompson, Children’s Volunteer Health Network; Kevin Boyle, Poor Truman Creative; Nathan R. Cordle, Clark Partington Attorneys at Law; Chelsea Calhoun, Grand Boulevard; Brooke Wheeler, The Island Wedding Company & Whole Life Fitness, LLC.; Chris Wheeler, Scenic Stays 30A & Whole Life Fitness; Leighann Elliott, The Village of Baytowne Wharf; Katelyn Burke, Spa 98; Amanda Bierbaum, Soiree; and Cory Fosdyck, Merrill Lynch.
The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all those who sponsored the 2019 Annual Gala. Sponsors included Presenting Sponsor: Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa; Decoration Sponsor: Showtime Events; Photo Booth Sponsor: Epic Photo Co.; Linen Sponsor: Island Sands Nicki; Platinum Sponsors: CHELCO, Gulf Power, Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC, The Hyatt Place and ResortQuest; and Gold Sponsors: Clark Partington Attorneys at Law, Community Bank, Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon, The Henderson Beach Resort and Spa, Herbafex, The Howard Group, Courtyard Marriott and Residence Inn, Matthews & Jones LLP, Northwest Florida State College, Sacred Heart on the Emerald Coast, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Simple HR, St. Joe Club & Resorts, and Visit South Walton.