FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jamee Jolly
Phone: 972-424-7547, ext. 222
Email: jjolly@planochamber.org
BEST OF PLANO AWARDS 2015
Plano Chamber Announces Award Recipients
Plano, TX - August 11, 2015 - The Plano Chamber of Commerce announced the 2015 Best of Plano Award recipients. The honorees will be celebrated at a gala dinner on Thursday, October 1, 2015, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park Hotel at 5805 Granite Parkway in Plano, Texas.
“Best of Plano honors those individuals and companies that make Plano such a great place to build a business, start a family, and serve a mission,” said Plano Chamber President/CEO Jamee Jolly. “This year’s recipients are true servant leaders and corporate citizens, including a family whose name is synonymous with Plano and philanthropy. We invite the Plano business community to join us in celebrating the achievements of these award recipients.”
The Plano Chamber is honoring Olin Jaye as the 2015 Citizen of the Year. As President of Olin Jaye & Associates, LLC, he works with small and large businesses in commercial real estate. Jaye has served on the Plano City Council, Regional Transportation Council, Collin County Planning Board, and held numerous leadership roles in the Texas Association of Realtors®. He received the Distinguish Service Award from the Collin County Association of Realtors® and, in 2006, was honored as the Realtor® of the Year.
Even with the amount of time dedicated to his professional organizations, Jaye has made time to give back to the community by holding leadership roles in many community organizations, including City House, Heritage Farmstead Museum, Rotary International, Chairman of the Plano Chamber Board of Directors, and is an incoming Chairman of The Medical Center of Plano Board of Directors, among others.
The Plano Chamber will also present the first ever Outstanding Philanthropist Award. This award recognizes an individual or family with a proven record of exceptional generosity who has demonstrated outstanding civic and charitable responsibility, and whose example encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles.
Created in 2011, the Haggard Family is the first recipient. Donating land for public projects, serving on boards and commissions, and financially supporting many of the nonprofits that serve the needs of our community, the Haggard Family continuously steps up to enhance our great city. They will be honored for the generations of service that has helped to lay the foundation for our community.
Also being recognized is Tammy McSwain, who will receive the ATHENA Leadership Award®. Since 1986, the Plano Chamber annually honors one of Plano’s most accomplished businesswomen for professional excellence, community service, and inspiring others to achieve their full potential. McSwain will join 29 other remarkable women as the 30th recipient of the ATHENA Award.
Chief Executive Officer of ARTA Travel and Past Chair of the Plano Chamber Board of Directors, McSwain contributes a great deal of time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community. She and her husband, Steve, were also honored as Small Business Persons of the Year in 2010.
The Plano Chamber named Holly Reed with AT&T as Business Executive of the Year. My Possibilities was selected for Community Partner of the Year.
Tom Cao of Flowerama will be honored with the Fred Moses Minority Business Development Award. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano will be recognized as the Outstanding Corporate Citizen of the Year.
The Plano Chamber will honor Community Impact Newspapers as the Rookie of the Year. Pete Hutchinson of Hutch-N-Son Painting & Drywall will be recognized as the Small Business Person of the Year.
Tickets and reserved tables are available at www.planochamber.org.
About the Plano Chamber of Commerce: Established in 1946, the Plano Chamber represents over 1,100 businesses and community organizations in Plano and the surrounding area. The Plano Chamber of Commerce is committed to maximizing business development and economic growth of the community through advocacy, education, innovation, and collaboration.
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