It's official, the Gurnee Chamber completed it's first year. In case you haven't been following the progress, there's been plenty to celebrate. And celebrate we did! The annual celebration was held at Six Flags' Hurricane Harbor. The theme was of course an island luau theme to fit the location, and to fit the mood. After countless months of planning and strategizing, and one year of gathering members, it was time to let loose a bit.
In true chamber fashion, the cost of the event was a reasonable $45 per person, leaving virtually no profit for the chamber. The chamber is adamant about keeping costs low, and not being focused on fund raising. Attendees received an open buffet, draft beer and sodas, a souvenir cup, and a Hawaiian lei.
A 100% payback raffle was held; the winner taking home $400 for her efforts. Congrats Barb "Kay"! Of course there were other prizes. Six Flags kicked in 4 free tickets, KeyLime Cove Resort gave an overnight stay, Churchill Photography gave a $350 gift certificate, Scentsy donated a gift basket, Star Capital Management gave a free financial plan valued at $1000, Gurnee Flowers gave two arrangements, and TravelHost magazine gave tickets to SummerFest and the Renaissance Fair.
In addition to the prizes listed, there was a special prize of $50 given to the wearer of the ugliest Hawaiian shirt. It was well deserved in this case. Go get yourself another shirt!
The "formal" part of the evening (10 minutes in duration), was devoted to awarding the Business of the Year Award and the President's Award for distinguished service. Craig Hathaway from Churchill Photography took home top honors for Business of the Year, and Ken Lechman took home the President's Award. Congrats to both men for their dedication and hard work!
We of course are looking forward to another great year at the chamber, and who knows, maybe another luau to cap it off again!
