A night of celebration

Chamber hands out its annual 4 awards at Cultural Center

Mark Lee, left, owner of Good Harvest Cafe, was awarded the Del Norte Pride Award at the Chamber of Commerce dinner Saturday. His wife is the bookkeeper, and sons Ryan and Chris, right, are the day and night managers, respectively. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Outgoing president Brent Hoskinson told a packed house at the Cultural Center that the Chamber made significant strides last year, including adding 59 members and strengthening its ambassador program, an accomplishment he credited to incoming president Lisa McKeown.

Hoskinson noted enhancements that are being made to the Chamber’s Web site this spring, and the Chamber’s efforts in conjunction with the medical community to recruit and retain health care professionals.

McKeown, a State Farm Insurance broker, said she’ll continue to push for membership increases, with an ultimate goal of 600 members. She also paid tribute to the efforts of Executive Director Gina Zottola, who McKeown said “puts her heart and soul into every event.”

Those events, Hoskinson noted, include the Fourth of July festivities and Sea Cruise, and “a lot of money comes through the community because of those events.”

Zottola emceed the Saturday dinner, which attracted numerous Del Norte community and business leaders, as well as Congressman Mike Thompson and state Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro. It included presentation of the Chamber’s four annual awards, including the Business Leader of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Del Norte Pride Award and the Chamber Volunteer of the Year.

Business Leader of the Year

Hambro Group’s Dwayne Reichlin, Business Leader of Year. The Daily Triplicate/Rick Postal

Chamber board member Chris Howard, a chamber board member, presented the award, saying one word summed up Reichlin: “Tenacious.” Then he followed up with a few more one-word accolades.

“Perseverance, determination, longevity, compassion and patience are among many qualities that can be used to describe our recipient,” Howard said. “All great qualities of a leader, all skills developed over time with a great deal of learning along the way.”

Howard gave insight into Reichlin’s life from being born in Del Norte to serving in the Vietnam War to raising a family and working at Hambro Forest Products for 42 years.

After becoming president and CEO of Hambro Forest Products in 1984, Reichlin grew the enterprise into a group of companies.

Even during the recession, he was able to keep “our last local mill” afloat, Howard said.

Accepting his award, Reichlin noted the difficult economic times, saying, “If you’re still in business and still looking toward the future, then you’ve done a remarkable job.”

Reichlin gave his family credit for  his success.

“My family’s always been behind me,” he said, “and that’s what is important.”

Lifetime Achievement Award

retired Sutter Coast CEO John Menaugh, Lifetime Achievement Award. The Daily Triplicate/Rick Postal

“Our recipient made it happen,” award presenter Kevin Hartwick said of the transition from Seaside Hospital to Sutter Coast.

When Menaugh arrived in Del Norte County in 1986, Seaside Hospital employed less than 200 people. Menaugh not only oversaw the transition to Sutter Coast, “he stayed through it throughout his entire career,” Hartwick said.

As the hospital grew to 400 employees, Menaugh expanded its operations and started what is now known as the Sutter Coast Walk-In  Clinic, brought Home Health to Del Norte and recruited physicians to the area, Hartwick said.

Menaugh was also instrumental in improving the nursing program at College of the Redwoods-Del Norte.

Menaugh, who still serves on the Chamber’s Board of Directors, explained why he stuck around all these years: “This community has grown on me.”

Del Norte Pride Award

Mark Lee, who moved his restaurant Good Harvest Café into a new building last year, received the Del Norte Pride Award given annually to someone who improves the appearance and vitality of the community.

After moving up from Southern California and then Calistoga, Lee started the restaurant in 1993 to fill a niche for healthy whole foods and vegetarian options, said award presenter Richard Wiens, editor of The Triplicate, co-sponsor of the award.

After 16 years operating on Northcrest Drive, Lee bought a dilapidated piece of property at the south end of town on U.S. Highway 101 and a built a new two-story structure for the Good Harvest Café.

At the back end of the property, Lee also fixed up an old building to house Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

“We give this award as a gesture of appreciation for all that Good Harvest Café has done for the community since 1993, and especially what it has done in its new location,” Wiens said. “Thank you from all of us for investing in Crescent City in such an impressive way.”

Lee said that starting Good Harvest Café in 1993 and then moving to a new, bigger location last year were both “scary” experiences, but the community responded.

“We turned on the open sign and got bowled over,” Lee said.

But he couldn’t have done it without the support of the community and his family, he said, such as his wife Cindy, who keeps the books, and their sons who both help manage the restaurant.

Chamber Volunteer of Year

Yvonne Cipressi, Volunteer of the Year. The Daily Triplicate/Rick Postal

Cipressi was traveling through Crescent City on her way to Portland in 1995, Zottola said, and was captured by the “beauty of not only of our surroundings but the people of our community” and settled here.

For the past five years Cipressi has volunteered at the Chamber’s Visitors Center and enjoys what she does because she “gets to meet people from all over the world.” Zottola said.

As for Cipressi, she said that as much as she likes to meet people from all over, “I can live anywhere I want to live. I choose to live here.”