The Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce’s (BACC) Annual Meeting and Gala was held on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Batesville Community Center.
The “Night at the Oscars”-themed event attracted 500 guests and awarded outstanding businesses and individuals for the first time post-pandemic, according to a news release from BACC.
“We were excited to return to the normalcy of recognizing the outstanding work and outcomes of our residents,” said BACC Chief Operating Officer Jamie Rayford. “We found unique ways to celebrate progress and people throughout the pandemic. Still, there is just something about honoring people in person at this special ceremony,”
The chamber was unable to hold the event in person in 2021, opting to honor individuals in a year-long “Spirit of Independence” campaign. While the event returned in 2022, it was plagued with the entrance of the omicron variant of COVID-19, which shrunk the event significantly just days before it was hosted.
“Our presenting sponsor, First Community Bank, and our event partners, Bad Boy Mowers, M & A Construction, Hampton Inn, Peco Foods, the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, and White River Health, were thrilled to partner in hosting our largest Annual Meeting yet,” Rayford said. “They have not only been supporters of our work, but they understand the importance of building community momentum through this annual gathering, “
The event followed an “Oscars” format, with TikTok comedian Jaron Myers hosting the awards portion of the show.
Among those winning awards were:
Lifeplus International (Excellence in Business)
Excel by 8’s LENA project (Community Collaboration)
Community Insurance Professionals (Excellence in Customer Focus)
Jennifer Sandage, chief nursing officer for White River Health (Leader in Health Care)
Batesville School District’s Pioneers RISE (Leader in Education)
Southside Family Chiropractic (New Member of the Year)
Tammy Foster of First Community Bank (Chamber Ambassador of the Year)
The 2022 Leadership Batesville Class also graduated from the nine-month program Friday night.
Graduates include Kevin Bledsoe (Batesville School District), Amy Bullard (UACCB), Taylor Cothern (M & A Jones Construction, a FARCO Company), Kristi Cox (Batesville School District), Katherine Dunegan (Gross Therapy Services), Mary Duvall (Bad Boy Mowers), Carson Grant (White River Planning and Development District), Angie Hooker (Citizens Bank), David Justice (City of Batesville), Jordan Layrock (Bad Boy Mowers), Ronald Mergy (Grandhands.org), Micah Moody (White River Health), Justin Russell (The Bank of Cave City), Karen Savell (Citizens Bank), Brittney Scarbrough), Cassandra Skelton (Centennial Bank), and Kristopher Wyatt (Ozark Technology).
The gala kicked off with laughs provided by Myers (pictured above), who closed the show with a message for audience members to “look for joy” in 2023.
A live set DJ and 360-degree photo booth entertained guests through the evening.
Images provided by the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce except for overhead shots by Gena Tate, White River Now
Have a news tip or event to promote? Email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. And don’t forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Get up-to-date local and regional news/weather every weekday morning and afternoon from the First Community Bank Newsroom on Arkansas 103.3 KWOZ. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on 93 KZLE, Outlaw 106.5, and Your FM 99.5.
