The Boise Metro Chamber, the only five-star accredited Chamber in Idaho, held its annual Small Business of the Year and Chamber Excellence Awards Luncheon on Monday, June 5th, at Boise Centre West. Seven organizations and two individuals received prestigious awards. This was the largest event of its kind in the Boise Metro Chamber's 146 year history!

Three finalists in each of seven categories received recognition at the year's luncheon. Five industry excellence award categories include: financial services, food and agriculture, healthcare, nonprofit, and travel. Two additional awards were given: Small Business of the Year and Medium-Sized Business of the Year.
​
Finalists for each category included:

• Financial Services Industry Award: D.L. Evans Bank, Idaho First Bank, Washington Trust Bank
  Financial Services Industry Award winner: Washington Trust Bank
• Food and Agriculture Industry Award: CS Beef Packers, FARE Idaho, Weiser Classic Candy
  Food and Agriculture Industry Award winner: CS Beef Packers
• Healthcare Industry Award: Boise Health Haus, Peak Chiropractic, RescueStat
  Healthcare Industry Award winner: RescueStat
• Nonprofit Excellence Award: Building Hope Today, Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children, NW Association for Blind Athletes
  Nonprofit Excellence Award winner: Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children
• Jim Moore Lifetime Legacy Travel Industry Award: The Arid Club, Enterprise Holdings, Skål International Boise
  Jim Moore Lifetime Legacy Travel Industry Award winner: Skål International Boise
• Small Business of the Year: Chillow, The Flicks, International Minute Press
  Small Business of the Year winner: The Flicks
• Medium-Sized Business of the Year: Allied Business Solutions, Graeber & Company, Hayden Homes
  Medium-Sized Business of the Year winner: Allied Business Solutions

In addition to the awards to these outstanding organizations, the Boise Metro Chamber names a “Government Advocate of the Year” and a “Hall of Fame Award Recipient” each year.

Wayne Hammon, CEO of Idaho Associated General Contractors was selected as the 2023 Government Advocate of the Year. Hammon has been a trusted adviser to elected officials and senior executives at various levels of government on a wide range of substantive policy issues. “Wayne has been an institution in Idaho politics for years,” said Bill Connors, Boise Metro Chamber President and CEO. “As a member of the Chamber's Board of Advisors, he has been a go-to on transportation issues for the Chamber, political leaders, and the construction industry. His support of our transportation expansion efforts makes him a natural for this award.”

​"I've been in government and around government for almost 30 years, and "advocate" is the nicest thing anyone's ever called me," said Hammon, as he accepted the award. He called upon attendees to "push back" against anyone who wants to take away our great quality of life and to "make Idaho the shining star it needs to be."

The Boise Metro Chamber previously honored Kelley Packer, of the Association of Idaho Cities, in 2022 with the Government Advocate of the Year Award, and Bruce Newcomb, former Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives, in 2021.

The 2023 Hall of Fame Award recipient, Kent Oram, served as the CEO of Idaho Central Credit Union, from 2007 through his retirement in 2022. “Kent has not only been a supportive member of the Boise Metro Chamber Board of Directors, but he built his institution into one of the largest in Idaho and one of the most philanthropic enterprises in the state,” said Connors. “He joins an elite group of people who have made our organization and our state more resilient than ever.”

Oram introduced himself as a "former CEO and current farmer of hay, goats, sheep, cows, horses and grandkids." As he accepted the award, Oram said, "It's our job as leaders of the community to give back everything we can give and still stay in business so that we can give back some more tomorrow."

In 2022, the Boise Metro Chamber inducted Charlene Maher, former President and CEO of Blue Cross of Idaho, into its Hall of Fame. ​Dr. Bert Glandon, former President of the College of Western Idaho, received the same honor in 2021.

​In addition, the Idaho Small Business Administration announced its 2022 District Office Lenders of the Year:

• Certified Development Company 504 Lender of the Year: Capital Matrix
• Rural Lender of the Year: D.L. Evans Bank
• Lender of the Year (tie): Idaho Central Credit Union and Bank of Idaho
  
  

The Small Business of the Year and Chamber Excellence Awards was made possible by the support of presenting sponsors: Meta and Delta Air Lines; sponsors: Bank of Idaho, Boise Centre and St. Luke’s; airline sponsor: Southwest Airlines; and co-sponsors: Horizon Credit Union, Idaho Small Business Development Center, Regence, Stability Networks and Verizon. The Boise Metro Chamber wishes to thank these generous sponsors, as well as media partner: Idaho Business Review.

Please enjoy this video honoring 2023 Hall of Fame Award recipient, Kent Oram:

 BOISE, ID – The Boise Metro Chamber inducted Blue Cross of Idaho President and CEO Charlene Maher into its Hall of Fame during its annual Small Business of the Year and Chamber Excellence Awards May 10 at Boise Center East.

“Inducting a member of our community into the Chamber Hall of Fame is the highest honor we can bestow as an organization,” said Bill Connors, President and CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber. “We recognized our inaugural honoree back in 2013. This year, Charlene Maher will take her place on our Wall of Fame as the 10th recipient. I believe the entire Treasure Valley community will agree with me when I say that there is no one more deserving of this honor.”

Seven organizations and one other individual were recognized during the ceremony. The winners in each category received a trophy and special recognition.

“We’ve had so many great companies nominated for these awards,” said Connors. “It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to recognize ‘Boise’s Best’ from among our members, who all work so hard to make this community what it is – the best place in the country to live, work, and play.”

Selecting from the individual category nominees to choose just one Government Advocate of the Year and one Chamber Hall of Fame inductee is an especially daunting task that can take weeks of conversation and consideration among event judges, he said.

“There are so many people in this community who are going above and beyond to make this great city even better,” said Connors. “It can be very tough for our judging panels to choose just one to recognize in these categories.”

This year’s Government Advocate of the Year is former Idaho State Representative and current Association of Idaho Cities Executive Director Kelley Packer.
 
The 2022 business category winners are:
 

Small Business of the Year (fewer than 25 employees)
Paradigm of Idaho
 
Small Business of the Year (more than 25 employees)
Colliers
 
Healthcare Industry Excellence
Garden Plaza of Valley View
 
Financial Services Industry Excellence
United Heritage Insurance
 
Food & Agricultural Industry Excellence
Lamb Weston
 
Travel Industry Excellence
Boise Hawks
 
Nonprofit Industry Excellence
Wyakin Foundation

BOISE, ID – The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce Dr. Bert Glandon, president of College of Western Idaho, will be the 2021 recipient of the Chamber’s Hall of Fame Award, and Former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb will be honored as Government Advocate of the Year. Glandon is the ninth recipient of this award, following Ray Stark in 2020, Candi Allphin in 2019, Dave Terrell in 2018, and Dr. Bob Kustra in 2017. 

​Glandon was selected for the award for his sustained, positive contributions to the betterment of the Chamber and support for its mission to advocate for a vibrant economy and outstanding quality of life. He will be honored at the 2021 Small Business of the Year & Chamber Excellence Awards luncheon on Wednesday, May 6 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Boise Centre.

The university president joined College of Western Idaho (CWI) in July of 2009 as a seasoned community college president. Prior to joining CWI, Glandon held president positions at Arapahoe Community College (2002-2009) and Treasure Valley Community College (1982-2002). He received his bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in communication from Western Washington University, and earned his Doctorate of Education Administration from Brigham Young University. 

As CWI’s president, Glandon steered Idaho’s newest community college through unprecedented growth. Under his leadership, the college focused on meeting the demand for affordable education and becoming an economic resource for the area’s business and industry. Glandon believes that community colleges play a critical role in partnering with local and regional businesses and industries to provide educational and training opportunities, assuring a strong economic engine for growth and development in the communities they serve. 

“President Glandon is a national icon in higher education, and College of Western Idaho became a national success story under Bert’s leadership. The Boise Metro Chamber was a vocal champion for the creation of CWI, and Bert and his team delivered for the entire valley with amazing results. His passion for student success, career and technical education, and his service to the valley’s growing business needs, certainly makes Dr. Glandon a worthy inductee to our hall of fame, our Chamber’s highest individual honor,” said Bill Connors, President and CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber.

“President Glandon’s vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment to advancing students has cultivated the incredible growth and success at CWI and influenced the entire education landscape across Idaho,” said Molly Lenty, Chair of Board of Trustees at CWI. 

Actively engaged in the community, Dr. Glandon has a position on a number of boards including Saint Alphonsus Health System, St. Luke’s Nampa community board, Boise Rotary, Idaho Technology Council, Boise Valley Economic Partnership, and by appointment of the governor, is a member of the Idaho Workforce Development Council and co-chair of the Educational Attainment Taskforce. Glandon is married to his wife, Jane, and has two sons, Dustin and Nick.

​In addition to honoring the CWI president, this year’s Small Business and Chamber Excellence Awards will also highlight Former House Speaker Bruce Newcomb as this year’s Government Advocate of the Year. Newcomb, a native Idahoan and rancher from Buhl, served 20 years in the Idaho legislature.

Newcomb attended Stanford University, Northwest Christian College, and graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science. He was the Speaker of the Idaho State House of Representatives (1998-2006), Majority Leader (1992-1998), on the House Resource Committee (1989-1998), and caucus chairman (1989-1991). His eight years as speaker of the house make him the longest serving speaker in the history of Idaho and he has been inducted to the Idaho Hall of Fame. After his time in Legislature, Newcomb served as Director of Government Relations (2007-2016) and Special Advisor to the President (2016-2017) at Boise State University. Newcomb helped navigate Boise State’s substantial growth and expansion during his tenure.  

In 2017, Boise State University awarded Newcomb with the School of Public Service Commitment to Idaho Award. Two years later, Make-A-Wish Idaho named him Board Member of the Year. He currently has led the Boise Metro Chamber policy committee for the past several years. Newcomb is married to his wife Celia Gould, director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, and has five children. Together, they run a beef operation on their ranch and have been inducted into the Southern Idaho Livestock Hall of fame.

“It has been an honor to have Speaker Newcomb as chair of the Chamber’s policy committee for the past several years. His voice has always been one of reason, civility, and common sense. His leadership and experience have helped to make our Chamber into one of the most influential business organizations in Idaho. This year more than ever we have needed Speaker Newcomb’s cool head and intelligent statesmanship. Bruce is an example of what political leadership and advocacy ought to look like. He is an Idaho treasure,” said Bill Connors of the of the Boise Metro Chamber.

The 2021 Small Business of the Year & Chamber Excellence Awards luncheon will be held at the Boise Centre with limited attendance in accordance with CDH guidelines. The event will be streamed on the Chamber’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and website.