We are thrilled to announce the winners of our 2011 Chamber Awards of Distinction, presented at our Inaugural Spring Gala held March 24th, 2012 at the Pend Oreille Playhouse.  The voting was incredibly close, with only a few votes separating the finalists in each category.  Talk about tough competition!  More details and pictures from our Gala, as well as a laundry list of thank you's, will follow, but for now, we wanted to be sure to post the winners right away for all to see.  So, without further adieu:

2011 Business of the Year:  Shanty

2011 Citizen of the Year:  Nancy Thompson

2011 Community Partner of the Year:  The Kalispel Tribe of Indians

Best Customer Service:  STCU - Newport

Event of the Year:  Who Let the Girls Out!?

Best New Member:  Bear Naked Adventures

Best Storefront:  Shanty

Our President also presented the Gary Burroughs Award for Excellence to Chamber Board member Steve Shumski of the Newport School District for his invaluable service to our Chamber and our community.  Congratulations to our winners and to all our finalists.  You are an inspiration to our entire community and we were thrilled to be able to honor all that you do.  More to come!