2023 Chamber Business Awards

By Nina Culver Current contributor

The Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce has again recognized local businesses, teachers and citizens with awards recognizing their impact on the community.

Perhaps the biggest award given out each year is the Harry E. Nelson Citizen of the Year award. Each year’s recipient is selected by a committee of previous Citizen of the Year award winners. This year’s recipient is Craig Howard, contributing editor of the Spokane Valley Current and Liberty Lake Splash as well as the development manager for Family Promise of Spokane.

The selection committee gave Howard the title of Community Storyteller. Committee member and former Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson praised Howard’s passion and commitment. “His energy for telling the stories of this growing community enhanced our lives and especially our business life.”

Howard was introduced at the annual Gem of the Valley awards banquet last month by last year’s Citizen of the Year award winners, Dave and Sue Thompson. Sue Thompson noted that Howard said that his father used to tell him and his brother stories each night before they went to bed. “Those stories always wove in elements of morals and the importance of helping people, instilling these values into Craig at a young age, which clearly has lasted a lifetime.”

In his acceptance speech, Howard noted that Nelson published the first edition of the Spokane Valley Herald 103 years ago.

“All I’ve been doing for the last 21 years is telling the community’s story, your story,” he said.

Howard said it was his privilege to be able to share the community’s stories for so long and said many have had an impact on him. “I’m just honored and humbled to be here today,” he said. “I look around the room and see many of you that I’ve interviewed over the last two decades plus.”

Business awards were given to companies in both the small and large business categories. Roller Valley won the Inspiring Workplace Award in the small business category. Owner Zhanna Oberemok bought the rink five years ago but had planned to use the building for other purposes. The community, however, convinced her to keep the beloved roller-skating rink open. She allows working mothers to bring their children to work with them and also hires teenagers looking for their first jobs.

The Spokane Indians Baseball Club was given the Inspiring Workplace Award in the large business category. The club also works to provide first jobs to local teenagers and focuses on employee development to make the experience a good one.

The Chamber also gives out a Community Stewardship Award to