Chesterfield Chamber Launches Recognition Program
By Kathleen Hall
And the winner is... Medallion Swim Pool Co.
Medallion Swim Pool Co. in Colonial Heights is the first winner of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award. The launch of this award program coincides, and was inspired by, the chamber's five-year anniversary.
"We thought it would be nice to have a banquet or big event to honor the occasion and it also made sense to honor a business of the year for 2004," said event committee member Sam Kaufman. "We thought we'd start a tradition."
Vicki Parks, vice president of Medallion, is the inaugural winner. "We’re really excited about this," she said. She believes Medallion's entry stood out in large part because of the depth of its community service and involvement. Medallion recently donated a $10,000 Swim Spa to a local girl who was injured in a car accident. The spa enabled the girl, paralyzed from the waist down, to do water therapy in the comfort of her own home.
Medallion is a growing company that has been family run since being founded by Park's father in 1960. Kaufman said applicant for Business of the Year must be Chamber members for at least two years, show growth over the prior year and demonstrate community and Chamber involvement.
"We are the only pool company that manufactures Inground and above ground pools, Swim Spas, and vinyl liners,” Parks explained. She and her brother, who is company president, serve on many local boards. "We hire a lot of youth as well," she added. " We like to help them get the right start in life, working and working with the public."
"The Chamber promotes business in the county, but we also wanted to recognize people who do good for not-for-profit, people who go beyond," Kaufman said. The Citizen of the Year award goes to Laddie Kibiloski, a long-time active member of Crime Solvers and a volunteer for numerous county-based organizations. Chesterfield County residents Barry Lynch and Sergeant Gerald Landrum were also recognized with Outstanding Citizen Awards.
On February 9, the chamber hosted its five-year anniversary banquet and awards ceremony and installed this year's officers and board.
Over 500 Chesterfield County businesses are members of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce. "In addition to being a forum for businesses in the Chesterfield area, [the Chamber] gives us' a single voice, especially in this current [political and business environment]," Kaufman commented. "It's important that business has a voice in local, state, and national government. The Chamber also promotes the county, which has a strong business climate.
