Article submitted by the Thurston County Chamber
Join Leadership Thurston County and the Thurston County Chamber Foundation in honoring exceptional leaders who have made an impact in the South Sound community and beyond.
The 10th annual Distinguished Leader Awards will be held Wednesday, February 16, at Saint Martin’s University Norman Worthington Center.
Presented by West Coast Bank, the event begins with registration and social at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and the awards program at 6:30. Tickets are $60 per person or $480 for a table of 8. For reservations and information, call 360.357.3362 or visit www.ThurstonChamber.com.
Other event partners include Woytowich Design, the Business Examiner, Berschauer Phillips, Capitol City Press, Lucky Eagle Casino, FlatWorld LLC, Olympic Rental & Landlord Services, Rivers Edge, J Robertson & Company and Saint Martin’s University.
The Distinguished Leader Awards is a signature event of Leadership Thurston County, a program of the Thurston County Chamber Foundation. Since 1994, over 400 graduates have completed the year-long course. For information, contact Patti Grant at 360.357.8515 or email LTC@ThurstonChamber.com.
2011 Honorees:
Chairman David Burnett: Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
The Chehalis Tribe is a dynamic community with rich cultural traditions that have endured for centuries. Under the direction of Chairman David Burnett, the Tribe is shaping a new era of strategic business development in the South Sound. Robust economic vitality allows the Tribe to provide abundant services for its 850 members. Diverse tribal enterprises, including two construction companies, one convenience store, two gas stations, one commercial fueling station, the Burger Claim restaurant, an RV park, the Lucky Eagle Casino, Eagles Landing Hotel and the Great
Wolf Lodge, employ nearly 1,400 people in Thurston County, with annual wages of $18.4 million.
Grays Harbor Paper
Based in Hoquiam, Grays Harbor Paper (GHP) prides itself on making paper from recycled fibers, using green power and ever expanding their waste reduction and recycling, and providing over 250 family wage jobs. Twenty years ago, a large paper company left an abandoned mill that had
provided jobs for three generations. The entrepreneurial Quigg family saw an opportunity and led a group of local investors to re-open as Grays Harbor Paper. It has become one of the greenest paper mills in North America. Revival of the mill also jump-started the communitywide Grays Harbor Vision 2020 Project that embraces the “sustainability equals prosperity” philosophy.
New Market Skills Center
New Market Skills Center has been a regional hub for secondary career and technical education for over 25 years. Based in Tumwater, New Market serves students from 25 high schools and 10 school districts in five counties. They also have a branch campus in Aberdeen and a satellite campus in Onalaska. New Market provides state-of-the-art training for high school juniors and seniors in over 20 programs, helping to meet the workforce needs of our area, particularly in high demand fields. All programs engage students in leadership with New Market students excelling in statewide and national competitions specific to their fields.
