Thank you to the 500+ attendees who celebrated with the Regional Chamber at the 2022 Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 25 at the Three Rivers Convention Center. It was the Chamber's first in-person Annual Meeting since 2019 - and we were thrilled so many people gathered with us to celebrate success. 

Thanks to Breshears Professional Photography for snapping these wonderful photos!

Thank you to the 500+ attendees who celebrated with the Regional Chamber at the 2022 Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 25 at the Three Rivers Convention Center. It was the Chamber's first in-person Annual Meeting since 2019 - and we were thrilled so many people gathered with us to celebrate success. 

The Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon is a celebration of the accomplishments of the Regional Chamber and our members. The following Chamber members were honored with awards at the event.

Chamber S.T.A.R. Award
Chris Rivard
Christopher E Rivard P.S.

The Chamber S.T.A.R. Award is presented to a volunteer who goes above and beyond for the Chamber. S.T.A.R. is an acronym for Service, Time, Attitude, Reliability.

Chris Rivard served as the Chair of the Regional Chamber's Board of Directors in 2020. During his final year on the board in 2021, Chris served both as Past Chair and Treasurer. 

Community Impact Awards
Columbia Basin College & Washington State University Tri-Cities

The Community Impact Awards are presented to the non-profit organizations that provided the Chamber with the most financial support over the previous year.

This year's Community Impact Awards went to Columbia Basin College (CBC) and Washington State University (WSU) Tri-Cities.

Both CBC and WSU Tri-Cities have been instrumental contributors for the Washington Workforce Portal - an online portal that connects employers with students and educators for meaningful internships. Both organizations also continue to sponsor the Tri-Cities Diversity Summit and both have been active members of the Regional Chamber for many years. Additionally, both CBC and WSU Tri-Cities and their teams are involved in the Education Council for the myTRI 2030 Regional Vision Project.

Corporate Impact Awards
​Battelle & Washington River Protection Solutions

The Corporate Impact Awards are presented to the for-profit organizations that provided the Chamber with the most financial support over the previous year.

​This year’s Corporate Impact awards went to Battelle that operates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS).
 
Both Battelle and WRPS are stakeholder-level members – that’s the highest level possible. Battelle is a founding investor in the myTRI 2030 regional vision project and the premier sponsor of the Tri-Cities Diversity Summit. Additionally, Battelle is a partner in the Washington Workforce Portal. WRPS is the sponsor of the Small Business Incentive Program and the premier sponsor of the Tri-Cities Women in Business Conference. They also sponsor the Meet the Buyer – which supports the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Both organizations also are represented on the chamber’s Board of Directors and have been for many years.

Business on a Roll Award - 1-10 Employees
Express Employment Professionals

The Business on a Roll Awards recognize Regional Chamber members that achieved significant success over the previous year. Criteria includes revenue, sales, employee growth, awards, and community involvement.

The Business on a Roll Award for a business with 1-10 employees went to Express Employment Professionals. Express was selected because of their impressive growth in revenue and paid associate placements - meaning they were able to put a significant amount of people to work in 2021. Express Employment owner, Jason Jones, is also heavily involved in the local business community – including volunteer work as a Chamber Ambassador and serving on the Chamber’s Local Government Affairs Committee.

Business on a Roll Award - 11-50 Employees
Sculpt Wellness

The Business on a Roll Award for a business with 11-50 employees went to Sculpt Wellness. Since opening in 2016, Sculpt has seen significant growth in all award criteria. They have more than tripled their customer volume, services, and staff. Due to their significant growth, they’ve just opened a second location in Pasco. 

Business on a Roll Award - Over 50 Employees
North Wind Solutions

The Business on a Roll Award for a business with over 50 employees went to North Wind Solutions. North Wind has been in business in the Tri-Cities for 20 years. They received a major contract with Hanford Mission Integration Solutions – which was a catalyst for their major growth in revenue. The awards and recognition committee was impressed with the seamless transition of over 300 employees in a short amount of time.

Most Valuable COVID-19 Response Award
Benton-Franklin Health District

During the past two years, the Tri-Cities community has overcome incredible obstacles by demonstrating innovation, determination, and resiliency. This year, the Regional Chamber chose to honor a local organization with the "Most Valuable COVID-19 Response Award" - to celebrate an organization that stood out in our region during a trying time. This year's award went to the Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD).

BFHD typically flies under the radar while adding a great deal of value to our community. But in March 2020, that changed - suddenly the Health District was looked to for leadership in an unprecedented time.

The Regional Chamber will honor an individual and a member organization with “Tri-Cities Champion of Diversity Awards” during the third day of the Tri-Cities Diversity Summit on November 17, 2021. The Chamber is asking for help from the community to identify the two most-deserving nominees.

The Tri-Cities Champion of Diversity Awards aim to recognize and commend an individual and a member organization that have demonstrated outstanding achievements and sustained commitment to the pursuit of diversity and inclusion in the community and workplace.

The nomination form and award criteria can be found here. The nomination deadline is Friday, October 22.

The Regional Chamber is asking for help from the community to identify three organizations most-deserving of an award to celebrate their extraordinary COVID-19 response efforts.

The Tri-Cities community has overcome incredible obstacles during the last year and a half by demonstrating innovation, grit, and resiliency. The new “Most Valuable COVID-19 Response Awards” will celebrate three organizations that stood out by going above & beyond with their COVID-19 response efforts – and recognize them in front of a crowd of hundreds. 

Awards will be presented to the winners of three different categories:

• “Most Valuable Company Response” – This award will go to a company that demonstrated an exemplary response to the pandemic by ensuring the well-being of its employees, customers, and community.
• “Most Valuable Government Response” - This award will go to a government organization that demonstrated an exemplary response to the pandemic by ensuring the well-being of its constituents and employees.
• “Most Valuable Non-Profit Response” - This award will go to a non-profit organization that demonstrated an exemplary response to the pandemic through serving its community.
  
  

To win, the organizations must be based in Benton or Franklin counties and they must still be in operation at the time of the presentation of the award (August 25, 2021). The organizations do not need to be a member of the Regional Chamber in order to be considered.

The nomination form can be found here. Everyone, regardless of membership, is invited to submit nominees through the nomination form. Businesses, government entities, and non-profit organizations may also self-nominate. The Regional Chamber’s Awards & Recognition Committee will evaluate the nominees and select a winner. The nomination deadline is Wednesday, August 11, 2021.

Questions or comments should be directed to Elisabeth Holt at elisabeth.holt@tricityregionalchamber.com.

HENDERSON, Nev. – The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce received an Outstanding Chamber
Program Award for their Economic Gardening program at the Western Association of Chamber
Executives (WACE) annual conference in Henderson, Nevada on Tuesday, February 6.

The Outstanding Chamber Program Awards recognize programs in the core competency areas of:
strengthening the local economy, promoting and improving the community, political action,
representing interest of business with government, and/or networking and building business
relationships. Programs nominated for the award must be able to be replicated by other chambers.

The Chamber’s Economic Gardening Program is the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. In
partnership with the Edward Lowe Foundation, Economic Gardening provides regional second-stage
businesses with guidance from the National Center of Economic Gardening’s (NCEG) “National Strategic
Research Team” – a team of specialists from across the country who will deliver Economic Gardening
services that are specifically tailored to each business’ particular attributes and goals.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber received the award along with chambers from Tacoma, Washington,
Irvine, California, Surprise, Arizona, and Fort Collins, Colorado.

​The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce is the catalyst, convener and champion for community and
business prosperity. For further details about the Regional Chamber, visit
www.tricityregionalchamber.com or call 509.736.0510.