Yesterday, we hosted the 52nd Annual Meeting & Reception at the Hickory Metro Convention Center. Over 350 business and community leaders attended our annual event to recognize the achievements of the past year.
We recognized our Chamber Ambassadors, who made 625 touches in the form of calls, emails, virtual visits, and mailed cards to Chamber partners on our behalf. Many of them were also in attendance at the 46 ribbon cutting ceremonies we hosted last year.
Congratulations to our Ambassador Team of the Year: Team Lead, AJ Kerley, PACE@Home, Paige Garner, Kingston Residence of Hickory, Dr. Matthew Kirkland, New Directions Chiropractic, and Meredith Willis, Alzheimer’s Association.
Board Chair of 2023, Zack Cranford, Cranford Hospitality, welcomed guests and shared some of our key achievements, that can be viewed in our Annual Report here. We also recognized our current Board of Directors, as well as our retiring Board of Directors. See the full list here.
We also shared about the vision and work of the Catawba County Chamber Foundation, led by Lori Alala, Board Chair and Partner at Broome Insurance, a Legacy Insurance Partner. Members of the Charter Board of Directors for The Foundation were recognized.
Cranford introduced Pat Carver, Area Executive of First Citizens Bank, as our 2024 Board Chair. Carver shared brief remarks dedicated to Cranford’s leadership, followed by presenting him with an award for a successful year as Board Chair. Carver casted a vision forward and shared some our 2024’s priorities.
Wrapping up and in honor of Cranford’s impact on The Chamber, we thought it was fitting to have an Annual Meeting “Cranford Brothers Style” with a custom beer by City Walk Brewing, named The Chambeer.
To see a video highlight of the 52nd Annual Meeting & Reception, click on the video below. You can also see our 2023 Year in Review video shown at the event here. To see all our event photos, click here.
