Chamber goes Hollywood

PORTALES - If it seemed a little dark Thursday night in Roosevelt County, that's because most of its local stars were together in the Yam Theatre for the Chamber of Commerce's "Portales Goes Hollywood"-themed banquet.

The annual program took on a movie theme this year with cinematic trivia at each table, film posters adorning the walls and life-size character cutouts greeting guests at the doors. Special emphasis was placed on those features filmed in Portales or New Mexico.

The focus of the evening, however, was more specific to highlights of the past year in the "warm heart of the sunbelt," as the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce designates the region.

Outgoing Chamber President Noelle Bartl awarded C&S, Inc. as Business of the Year, noting the family run enterprise recently celebrated eight decades "catering to both the needs of the farmer as well as the businesses of Portales in the way of oil, gas and tires."

Cissell Oil was first formed in 1930 and then purchased before the decade's end by Wayne Stratton, whose son Mike accepted the award Thursday along with his own daughters Alyssa Idsinga and April Rutter and tire shop manager Victor Ramirez.

Chamber Executive Director Karl Terry awarded Jennifer Hardin "Workhouse of the Year," a prize dating back over half a century and in early years designated with recipient names inscribed "on an old leather horse collar," he said.

Hardin recently established herself as the lead team member in a local mortgage business in addition to serving as President of Altrusa last year and for years as a board member with Portales MainStreet, just to name a few items of work and volunteer history.

Incoming Chamber President Patsy Jimenez recognized last year's Workhouse award recipient Casey Peacock as "Ambassador of the Year" for having attended the most events and meetings in 2018.

"No ambassador has popped more popcorn in the line of duty than this hard-working woman," Jimenez said. "She's made herself available for any and every duty that came up this past year."

The award portion of the evening opened with the distribution of three Harley & Faye Borden prizes, recognizing those that have "significantly approved the outward appearance of their business in the past year." The award's namesake couple were killed almost four decades past in a car accident, but "their passion was for a community that appeared vibrant and inviting."

The three recipients were: Enchantment Vineyards, which transformed a peanut storage warehouse into a tasting room and winery; Farmer's Country Market, which boasts a new liquor license, display cases and exterior signage along with an expanded interior; Signman Signs, which has found a new home at Chicago and Second Streets after the previous building sustained major damage.

In her closing address, Bartl applauded group efforts in annual events that include the Peanut Valley Festival, Heritage Days, little miss merry christmas and Chamber Ambassador Movie Nights. She also spoke to continued success of the monthly Portales Leadership program and noted an 11 percent increase in chamber membership last year.

Bartl handed off the gavel to incoming president Jimenez, who spoke with optimism and commitment for the year ahead. Jimenez quoted Coretta Scott King toward the end of her address: "The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members."