For the third consecutive year, the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards banquet under the stars on Route 66 in downtown Sapulpa on Thursday evening.
The weather was perfect, and the food was as tasty as it was novel: rather than choose one restaurant to cater to the 300 or so attendees, the Chamber invited several to bring their best specials, for which the guests would vote best tasting and best presentation. Participating restaurants included Andy’s Bar & Grill, Sami’s Southern Kitchen & More, Crossroads Cookery, Waypoint Lounge, Boss Hawg BBQ, Wimpy’s Sandwich Shoppe, Senor Pablo’s, Lopez Grill, and even Sugar Llamas and McDonald’s were there to provide dessert.
As is the custom for every other year when the Leadership Creek County Class graduates, the graduation ceremony was held at this banquet, where the class not only achieved their certificates of completion but also presented their class project: four new electric bikes for the Sapulpa Police Department: 100% fundraised and paid for by donations, most of which was gathered by the Leadership Creek County Class. Sapulpa Police Chief Reed said the bikes would be used for patrolling areas that couldn’t be easily reached by a police cruiser, such as the walking paths of Kelly Lane Park, and the downtown alleyway district.
2023 Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce Award Winners:
In addition to trophies, nearly every award winner also received a certificate of congressional recognition signed by Congressman Kevin Hern.
Chairman of the Board
Debbie Moss won the Chairman of the Board Award for her service to the Board of the Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce.
Citizen of the Year
Brother-sister duo Will Berry and Jennifer (Berry) Dilley won Citizen of the Year. Tami Fleak, who presented the award, described the siblings as “born into community service.” Will Berry addressed the dinner guests after receiving the award and thanked them for helping to take Sapulpa into its current trajectory, including the Christmas Chute, the recently passed historic high school bond, and soon the redesign and construction of a new Dewey Streetscape. “We never wanted to be the biggest, we just wanted to be the best,” he said. “The work all of you have done is taking us to a whole new level.”
Business of the Year
Wimpy’s Sandwich Shoppe recently made headlines for their student lunch program with Sapulpa Schools, whereby thanks to the generous donations of their customers, “nobody leaves hungry.” Owner Mike Naifeh also thanked Sapulpa, “It’s your generosity that makes what we do possible,” he said.
Volunteer of the Year
Gene Parnell, a longtime volunteer with American Heritage Bank, Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce, and Caring Community Friends, gained the Volunteer of the Year Award, and in a twist of humor, a new “retired” hat from Sapulpa Chamber President Janet Birnie, who has given Gene Parnell a new hat for almost every volunteer endeavor he’s embarked on. Parnell gratefully hugged Birnie and told Sapulpa Times after the event how touched he was by the recognition. “Me and (Caring Community Friends Director) Camille (Teale) are like this,” he said. Whatever they’ve ever needed, I’ll always help.”
Young Professional of the Year
Jordan Ascencio won Young Professional of the Year, a fitting award for one of the founders of the relatively new Sapulpa Young Professionals group. “I was so happy to be nominated,” she says. “I love our community and hope to continue to give back; Sapulpa is such a fun place to live.”
Nonprofit of the Year
Shoulder 2 Shoulder Ministries was awarded Nonprofit of the Year for their regular contributions to the community, not just through their street worship team where they provide free meals and prayer to any attend, but also for their willingness to step up in other situations, such as opening a 24/7 shelter during the Big Freeze of 2021 or orchestrating a “Revival Run 5K” for the church community in the area.
Winners of the Silver Spoon and Fork Awards
Senor Pablo won the Silver Fork Award for “best presentation,” and Sami’s Southern Kitchen & More won the Silver Spoon Award for “best taste.”
