HOULTON, Maine — Local businesses and people were celebrated Saturday as the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner and awards ceremony.
Held at the Houlton Lodge of Elks, the evening featured a smorgasbord of tasty appetizers, followed by a gourmet meal of cider roasted pork loin or eggplant parmesan prior to the awards ceremony.
A smaller crowd than usual turned out for this year’s event. Seating was capped at 130 people to allow for greater spacing. About 120 people attended Saturday evening, according to Jane Torres, executive director of the chamber.
“We had some folks who decided at the last minute that they could not attend,” she said. “Some were identified as close contacts and did not want to risk the exposure and we thank them for that awareness.”
The event was not held in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Five awards — Lifetime Achievement, Business of the Year, Community Service, Above and Beyond and Young Professional — were presented during the evening.
Houlton Regional Hospital was the recipient of the Community Service award during Saturday’s Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce awards gala. Accepting the award are, from left, Dr Brian Griffin; Gina Brown, chief operating officer; Shawn Anderson, chief executive officer; and Dr. Karl Woods. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Houlton Regional Hospital was presented with the Community Service Award by chamber member Lori Weston. The hospital was selected for its outstanding coverage for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This community is so very fortunate to have a hospital that is filled with people to ensure that anyone who needs medical care gets it and more,” Weston said. “Sometimes the tears flow, just because. Not once was there a time when someone was not there at HRH to take care of the sick among us with skill and compassion.”
Shawn Anderson, chief executive officer for HRH, accepted the award alongside several members of the medical staff. Anderson said he was overwhelmed by the hospital’s selection for the award, during a time when its staff has been pushed to the brink.
“We are deeply inspired by this award,” Anderson said. “If you only knew what this means to us. It energizes us for the future. It gives us a base to build upon. We are so glad to be part of this community.”
Chamber President Devon Cote (left) presents Katie Sloat with the Young Entrepreneur Award during Saturday’s Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce awards gala. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Chamber President Devon Cote introduced the recipient of the Young Professional Award winner — Katie Sloat, owner of Serendipitous Dragonfly in downtown Houlton.
Sloat spent several years working at S.W. Collins in its design department before deciding to take over her parents’ business, Jean’s Serendipity.
“Her efforts have been extremely impactful throughout our entire community, and I guarantee that this is hardly the beginning for her,” Cote said.
Sloat expressed her gratitude for the award, in recognition of her hard work to expand Aroostook County’s only pet store to include a broader array of children’s items and gifts.
“My mom told me the store needed a lot of work, but someone with a younger mind to bring the business back to life,” Sloat said. “I decided I wanted to take on that challenge. There was a lot to learn and I thank my parents for all their help. They created a unique business here in Houlton that has lasted for 23 years.”
Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jane Torres (left) presents Rosella Silliboy of County Yankee Grocery with the Above and Beyond award during Saturday’s awards gala. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Torres introduced the recipient of the Above and Beyond Award — County Yankee Grocery — for its unwavering commitment to helping out in the community. She explained that whenever there are supplies needed, the staff at County Yankee goes out of its way to make sure everything is provided.
The grocery store is also a throwback in that it still offers to carry out customers’ bags to their vehicles.
“There are businesses in town that are a huge help for non-profit entities like the Chamber,” Torres said. “But there is one in particular that we could not do without and that is County Yankee.”
Rosella Silliboy accepted the award on behalf of owner Dave Cunha.
“Customer service is our No. 1 priority,” Silliboy said. “We try to go above and beyond to take care of our customers. We always try to have everything ready before people pick up their orders and try to meet the needs of any organization.”
Porter Gervais, left, and his wife Destiny accept the Business of the Year award for the Downunder Sports Pub during Saturday’s Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce awards gala. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
The Downunder Sports Pub restaurant received the Business of the Year Award for its innovative way to keep food flowing, and people employed, while many establishments were closed due to the pandemic.
“There is no doubt that the pandemic threw each and every business into a severe tailspin,” Cote said. “None so much as restaurants, who were ordered to close and employees were laid off. This was no doubt a huge challenge, but the Downunder Sports Pub made the transition seem effortless.”
At the height of the pandemic, the pub reconfigured its kitchen and devised a way to do curbside pickup of many popular food items.
Porter Gervais and his wife Destiny accepted the award on behalf of his father Marty.
“This award means a lot to us,” Porter Gervais said. “It has been a crazy past few years, having to adapt to so many different standards. It is overwhelming. My parents wish they could have been here, but they are working in the kitchen. We have been so lucky to have much of the same staff and to keep plugging along.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented posthumously to Dewey Dewitt, a broadcasting icon from Houlton who died Jan. 5 at the age of 99. He is just the second person to receive an award from the chamber posthumously.
Torres said she had planned to present Dewitt with the award in 2021, but that ceremony was canceled. “He was so happy to learn he was being honored,” she explained.
Torres read from a letter from Dana Connors, president of the Maine Chamber of Commerce and former city manager in Presque Isle.
“It may have been his velvety voice, or his cadence that caught people’s attention, but his knowledge of sports could not be matched,” she read. “Our paths crossed as far back when I was playing basketball for Easton. Later when I was city manager, he came up with a new idea for a radio program that was ahead of its time — a talk show.”
Sally Gentle, Dewitt’s daughter, accepted the award on her father’s behalf, while his niece Heather Mooers McGuire read a letter from Dewitt’s son, Rand.
“I talked to dad just about every night, unless he was having a late night at the Elks Club playing cards,” she read. “Just about every conversation we had would be a story about someone he met that day or something that had happened in Houlton. He would say how lucky he was to spend the end of his life in the Houlton area.”
Brian Oliver, Dewitt’s great nephew, also spoke on how Dewitt inspired him to attend broadcast school. “He would tell all these incredible stories about things like Bob Cousy coming here (to Houlton) to play golf and meeting Red Auerbach,” he said. “He was a legend here in The County and had such a silver tongue. He could make friends with anybody.”
