Nearly 200 turned out for the 22nd Annual Award Dinner June 3rd at the Alpine Grove Banquet Facility.

Click on any photo below to start a slideshow of photos from the dinner. Click on the left or right side of each photo to advance through the slideshow.

Please congratulate our Honorees:

Business of the Year
Beaver Brook Association

Small Business of the Year
Eaton & Berube Insurance

Business Leader of the Year
Matthew Bernard

Volunteer of the Year
Karen Keating of St. Mary’s Bank

SV History Recognition Award
Jessie Salisbury

Future Business Leaders
Jonathan Gual – HBHS
Kyle Lampinen- MRHS
Connor Jackson – MHS
Eric Nelson – SHS
Chris Len – SHS
Liza Roy – WLC
Steven Heck – WLC

We recognize and thank our Sponsors, without whom this celebration would not have been possible:

PSNH
Granite State Credit Union
Centrix Bank
Amerident Dental Associates
Eaton & Berube
Home Theater & Beyond

See you next year at the 2010 Annual Dinner!

Join us for the July Business After Hours at C1M Photography with the Souhegan Valley Referral Group.

Date: July 21, 2010
Location: C1M Photography, 117 Emerson Road, Milford NH
Hosts: C1M Photography and the Souhegan Valley Chamber Referral Group
Theme: It’s a Tex-Mex Fiesta – Celebrate summer with food, drinks and prizes!!

For the July Business After Hours, you can tour the state-of-the-art high-tech studio of C1M Photography and meet with the members of the Souhegan Valley Chamber Referral Group for an evening of networking and socializing. The SVCRG is comprised of 21 business owners who meet once a week at the Chamber to network and give and receive business referrals. To date the group has generated 274 referrals and $64,650 in revenue, for an average of $3,078 per seat. It’s a great way to meet energetic, respected business owners in your community and grow your business!

Your hosts for the evening: Jeff Boufford, Boyd & Boufford Insurance; Sally Hooper, Coldweel Banker Residential Brokerage; Barbara king, AspenCross Financial; Walter Schnecker, C1M Photography; Elizabeth Skipper, The Everyday Epicure; Brenda Hodgkiss, Send-Out-Cards; Edwina Hastings, Granite State Vitamins; Susan Frenette, First Eastern Mortgage; Lee Anderson, AFLAC; Sandy Demarest, Demarest Career Directions; Dr. Gary Zetterberg, Amherst Chiropractic; Julie Poliquin, Davis & Towle Insurance; Michael Bonette, Home Theater & Beyond; Barbara Allen, Allen Remodeling; Mark Cedras, Markal Angelo; Jonathan May, YourPresenceontheWeb.com; Evan Jones, master Electrician; Paul Tripp,
Classic Signs; and Russ Boisvert, New England Elements.

It’s time to vote for the Best of the Best for our annual Best of the Souhegan Region Awards.

We want to know your favorite places to eat and shop, your favorite professional services and businesses to work with!

Cast your vote online at this page and help show your support for area businesses. Note that you must vote in at least 10 categories for your results to be counted. Membership in the chamber is not required!

The Chamber Office will be closed for regular hours from June 26 to July 6 due to the holiday vacation schedule. Please contact Amy Wheeler at First Colebrook Bank 603 673-1440 with any immediate needs.

Milford Rotary Club 100 Holes of Golf at Amherst Country Club. Volunteers are needed on Friday, July 30th for this event that supports many local organizations and charities. Call John Siemienowicz at 672-1300 x 113!

Date 6/23/2010
Time 9:00 AM TO 10:30 AM
Event Description: This important roundtable discussion is one of 11 throughout the state being hosted by regional Chambers of Commerce and the BIA. It is designed to give the business community a voice in establishing a proactive legislative and regulatory agenda for the 2011 legislative session at the New Hampshire State House.

Business leaders will be asked to identify challenges affecting their operations. Next, they will be asked to rank these challenges from most pressing to least pressing. Finally, business leaders will be able to recommend action steps. Your attendance and participation is greatly appreciated!

The Greater Nashua Area Region Business Roundtable is open to the general public, members of Chambers of Commerce, and the BIA. There is no charge or fee to participate, but we do ask that you RSVP so we can plan appropriately.

The Greater Nashua Area Business Roundtable Discussion is sponsored by the Souhegan Valley Chamber, the Hudson Chamber of Commerce, and the BIA. Please call the number below for your reservation:
Law Warehouses, Inc.
27 Airport Road
Nashua, NH 03063
Phone: (603) 224-5388

Thank you to our faithful Board Members who are “retiring” with the June Board meeting. Laurie Johnson and Ingrid Rahaim have given generously of their time and expertise to the Souhegan Valley Chamber and its membership. Our Veterans Count Auction would not have been the huge success it was without Laurie’s efforts, and the Expo needs Ingrid’s engineering magic to go from lists to floor plans to the excitement of the Dome! Don’t go too far, Ladies, we need you! Don’t be left on the outside looking in!

Welcome to the Newest Board Members of the Chamber’s Directors elected at the Annual Dinner last Thursday!

Debby Hoffman Adair – This Field, Center for the Beginner Mind
Heather Arvanitis – PSNH
Tracy Bardsley – Milford DO-IT
Rosie Deloge – SAU 40
Joan Lemire – Joan P. Lemire Real Estate
Tony Oliver – Walmart
Walter Schnecker – C1M Photography
Julie Sullivan – SAU 41

The High Hopes Foundation is holding a Business After Hours MIXER between the Souhegan Valley and Merrimack Chambers at UNO’s Chicago Grill at 593 Amherst St. on Wednesday, June 23 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. Free appetizers, door prizes, and cash bar. And if members stay and eat after the event, 15% of each participant’s meal total will be given to the High Hopes foundation as a donation. Our thanks to Susan Kahlika and the Uno’s team for hosting this event.

Important information for Members and an opportunity to save!  Lunch & Learn Tuesday, June 8 in the Chamber Office at 11:30 AM.  Barbara King will explain the discounted rate available only to Chamber members for Long Term Care Insurance.

Member Breakfast -   Thursday, June 17 at 7:30 AM at Milford Coffee, 770 Elm St., Milford.  “Retirement Planning is More Than a 401K!”, Mike Bonacorsi, CFP, Special Guest Speaker.  Space is limited – email or call today!  Members are Free.

Sample specialties from 10 great Milford eateries while browsing downtown’s terrific shops. Participating restaurants and host locations include:

Foodees Gourmet Pizza serving inside JM Princewells
The Pasta Loft serving inside Souhegan Cycle
Giorgios Ristorante serving inside The Frame Depot
The Café on the Oval serving within The Café on the Oval
The Mile Away Restaurant serving inside The House of Faith
Elisha’s Restaurant serving inside Salon Exclusive
Amigos Mexican Cantina serving inside Sons Chimney
The Red Arrow Diner Catering serving inside Lisa’s Sweets
The Rustic Leaf Bistro serving inside The Garden Party
The Union Street Grill serving inside The Union Street Grill

Tickets $20 per person, on sale at www.milforddoit.org or at the following locations: Stork Organic Baby, the Frame Depot, JM Princewells, The Garden Party, Lisa’s Sweets, Salon Exclusive and St. Mary’s Bank.

This event is sponsored by Hansen Printing & Design, 672-7599 and supports ongoing community revitaliztion programs of Milford DO-IT.