Time for the 2018 Evergreen and Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce Award Ceremonies where you will have the opportunity to find out those individuals, businesses, and nonprofits whom their peers believe have served the community the best this past year. Not only will you have a chance to cheer on the best of the best in the community, but get ready to rub elbows with amazing people and have a fun time socializing and eating great food.
The following is a list of the Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce nominees this year and a description of who they are and what makes them special. The awards will be unveiled March 9th and we'll follow up with all of the winners in our next article!
2017/2018 Rookie Business of the Year
The Bean & The Leaf
Family owned and operated, The Bean & The Leaf bring their family's passion to others through gourmet coffee, tea, herbs & spices, local honey, preserves, sauces, spreads, and more. Customers love the incredible selection of flavors and warm, welcoming nature of the owners and staff.
Scooter's Smokehouse & Grill
Scooter's Smokehouse and Grill bring a taste of the "Old South" to Conifer through a variety of smoked meats and their American menu. If they happen to sell out of a dish, they post it on Facebook as a curtsey, so customers aren't disappointed. Diners rave about the tender brisket and smiling staff.
Snowpack Taproom
Inviting people to "Eat, Drink, & Be Merry," Snowpack Taproom provides craft beer, spirits, wine, and an evolving menu of sandwiches, wraps, and fresh fare. They provide fun entertainment in the form of Tuesday night trivia, Wednesday night open mics, live music, and more. Customers say the staff are awesome and attentive and the beer choice is outstanding.
The UnFramer – Mona's Art to Go
Dedicated to transforming people's images into works of art too splendid for a traditional frame, The UnFramer says "A poster's life is truly blank until the touch of Mona's hand." They even show their customers how they create and mount their beautiful images with a YouTube video featured on their website.
Castles and Kitchens
Castles and Kitchens bring the recipes of the world to Colorado. They travel, collect recipes, and train others to make the delicious dishes they discover. Their mission is to empower their customers to cook outside the box (and inside the pan), and take their new skills with them to have a richer, more authentic vacation experience.
2017/2018 Home Base Business of the Year
Ride–Need a Ride???
Ride—Need a Ride??? provide mountain transportation from local drivers who know how to handle crazy Colorado weather and weave their way through the Rocky Mountains. Common locations they transport people to include DIA, Red Rocks, mountain weddings and special events, casinos, and ski resorts.
The Fairy Dust Mother
The Fairy Dust Mother cleans and polishes both residential and commercial properties and strive to hire mothers part-time to give them extra income and a flexible schedule. Customers claim their services often exceed their expectations.
Pinecam.com
Born in Colorado, Pinecam.com is a one-stop-shop for local weather, wildfire updates, news, organizations, forums, and more. They are something Conifer residents can count on both during local disasters and daily life. They are a resource for the community and a social network of neighbors and friends.
Painters Plus
Painters Plus provide professional painting and staining for both interior and exterior surfaces. Residents and painters for over thirty years, they know what a Colorado house needs to survive and shine in the fickle mountain weather.
New York Life – Jeanie Boymel
New York Life Insurance agent Jeanie Boymel has the knowledge and experience to help Conifer residents prepare for the future. Whether growing a family, preparing for retirement, or protecting current assets, Boymel helps her clients find the right solutions for their futures.
2017/2018 Business of the Year
Macaroni Kid: Evergreen-Bailey-Conifer
A weekly, local newsletter and website, Macaroni Kid spreads the word about family-friendly events and activities. They have kid-friendly business directories, guides for activities like sledding, and maps in addition to information on local events, happenings, giveaways, reviews crafts, recipes, and more.
MyMountainTown.com
My Mountain Town is a welcoming community website serving the mountain communities west of Denver, Colorado. Their mission is to help strengthen the ties between neighbors, share vital information, and support the local businesses and charitable organizations that are integral to our community thriving through donations, sponsorships, and partnerships. They also offer unique and exclusive ways for businesses and nonprofits to advertise online and effectively connect with the community.
Rising Graphics
Rising Graphics pride themselves on providing design, offset printing, and digital photocopying services to mountain communities in-house. Truly passionate about getting each print right, they have been known to do a happy dance when a particularly complicated press comes off the press looking exactly like its vision.
Sano Animal Hospital
The veterinarians and staff at Sano Animal Hospital strive for compassionate, caring, and knowledgeable pet health and wellness services and top-notch customer service. Customers love how the staff are friendly, caring, professional, and provide all the information and advice owners need to make the best decisions for their pets.
Little Britches Boutique
Located in the heart of Conifer, Little Britches Boutique bring people together and promote community spirit by specializing in consignment for women and children. The owners and staff love to share positive stories about their customers and life in Conifer on their Facebook page.
2017/2018 Non-Profit of the Year
Evergreen Christian Outreach
Evergreen Christian Outreach have provided goods and services to local families in need for over thirty years. They help people move from crisis situations to sustainability and self-sufficiency through help and hope and meeting mountain residents most basic and urgent needs. They also offer job acquiring assistance, education, training, and counseling.
Conifer Community Church
The purpose of Conifer Community Church is to glorify God. They achieve this by providing a space for Christians to come together and worship as one despite the different denominations. By bring together real people, they strive to create real peace within the community and develop 360 degree followers of Christ.
Conifer Historical Society
The Conifer Historical Society seeks to share the region's legacy by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting historical and cultural materials. They collect photos, documents, and other memorabilia relevant to Conifer's history and residents for current and future generations.
Conifer Area Council
Dedicated to their vibrant mountain home where natural beauty, wildlife, and independent spirits joined together in community, the Conifer Area Council work to provide a forum to identify and address community issues. They pride themselves on open communication.
The Venue Theatre Company
Created as a safe haven for Colorado's youth, The Venue Theatre Company works exclusively with elementary, middle, and high school students. They are a family of committed parents, volunteers, and instructors working to give children and young adults the best theatre education possible and become all they can be.
2017/2018 Ambassador of the Year
Chrissy Boldra – Healthy Smiles
Chrissy Boldra loves to make her patients' smiles healthy and bright while keeping them comfortable with the little things like warm water, blankets, and essential oils. She joined the Chamber in 2015 to get to know the community and has been an active ambassador ever since.
Lauren Drabble
Lauren Drabble become an ambassador after joining the Commerce Christmas Parade Committee in 2015. She believes joining the Chamber has been the best thing for her personally and for Intermountain Humane Society. She says "I get to know everyone and do all the fun stuff by being an ambassador.
Jane Parker – Fairy Dust Mother
To Jane Parker, the mountains have always felt more like home than the city. After moving to Conifer, she put her property management skills to the test and created The Fairy Dust Mother. Now she truly feels she belongs and uses her position as a Chamber ambassador to meet and collaborate with fellow members.
Julie Dikken – Macaroni Kid
The publishing Mom of Evergreen, Bailey, and Conifer Macaroni Kid, Julie Dikken is an invaluable resource to the community helping families make the most of beautiful Conifer. She has actively participated in the Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce since 2014 as an ambassador, committee member, and connecting with other members.
Karen Heydman – Keller Williams Real Estate
As a realtor in the Conifer area, Karen Heydman enjoys meeting the locals. She claims she never feels quite as much a part of the community as when working with the Conifer Area Chamber of Commerce to put on their fun and quirky programs. She turns up everywhere and loves to meet new people.
2017/2018 Norman F. Meyer Award Nomination
For lifetime community service to Conifer.
Denise Patrick
Denise Patrick is a Member of Deer Creek Realty and works with buyers, investors, retirees, and second home seekers who want to enjoy mountain living. She is a past president of the Conifer Chamber of Commerce and of the board for the Mountain Peace Shelter (a domestic violence safe house).
Shirley Johnson
Shirley Johnson is president of the Conifer Area Council Board of Directors and has been since 2003. She is an outgoing human resources manager specializing in recruitment for the Mountain Resource Center. Previously, she served as chairman of planning commission, where she ruled on land use cases, regulations, master plans, and community plans brought before the county
Wayne Parkinson
Wayne Parkinson helped raise funds to purchase, implement, and maintain special motorized wheelchairs to make the Staunton State Park trails accessible to people with disabilities. He served as president of Friends of the Staunton State Park in 2017 and is thrilled to be a park of Colorado's newest state park's growth.
Yvonne Ludwig
Former Conifer Historical Society secretary, Yvonne Ludwig spoke at a storyteller meeting about growing up in a cabin without running water and being fascinated by it at school. She is a true Colorado native and seeks to preserve the land she loves.
Melissa Baker
A previous president of the Conifer Area of Commerce board of directors, Melissa Baker helps create timeless architecture at Gerou and Associates. Her clients rave about her professional and friendly way of going above and beyond what is expected.
2017 Conifer Chamber Award Winners, and MyMountainTown.com Business Partners, from left to right: Allison and Jack Hansell of Mad Jack's Mountain Brewery for Rookie Business of the Year, Sharon Trilk of MyMountainTown.com for Home-Based Business of the Year, and Steve and Janice Brooks of Brooks Place Tavern for Business of the Year.