The Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce is pleased to invite you to attend the annual Awards for Excellence Celebration, brought to you by H. Scott Connell, on Thursday, June 24. The celebration will be held at Pizzadili Vineyard & Winery, 1683 Peach Basket Road in Felton, and will begin with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. The program will follow at 6:15 and the evening’s festivities will conclude at 8 p.m.

The evening’s program will include recognition of our volunteers, the State of the Chamber Address given by our chairman, Shane Breakie of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, the naming of the CDCC’s Excellence in Business Award winners, and the graduation of Leadership Central Delaware’s Class of 2021. Guests at the event will enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, a split of Pizzadili wine on the table, and a full cash bar.

Each year, nominations are gathered for three prestigious awards: Large Employer of the Year (for companies of more than 50), Small Business of the Year (for companies of up to 50), and Young Professional of the Year (for individuals between 21 and 35 years of age). The nominations are reviewed by a committee comprised of previous award winners who select three nominees in each category. This is followed by a vote of the Chamber members that determines the winner. Finally, the awards are presented in June at the Awards for Excellence Celebration that concludes the Chamber’s year of events.

This year’s incredible nominees are: For Large Employers of the Year, Bayhealth Medical Center, Century Engineering, and Polytech. Our Small Business of the Year nominees are Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity, DE Turf Sports Complex, and The House of Coffi. For Young Professional of the Year, the nominees are Ryne Johnson of Advantech, Jesse Sapp of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, and Cassie Porter of Faw Casson. It is such an honor to be nominated for these awards from a group of your business colleagues and peers!

At this point in the process, voting has closed, ballots are being tallied, and we are eagerly anticipating the announcement of the winners!

We want to say a big “thank you” to our signature sponsor, H. Scott Connell, for making this event possible. Thank you also to our platinum sponsors: Axia Hotel Group, Century Engineering, Chesapeake Utilities, Dover Federal Credit Union. Harrington Raceway & Casino, Kraft Heinz, L & W Insurance, PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Dover, and R & R Commercial Realty. Thank you to our dinner wine sponsor, Faw Casson. Thank you to our cocktail reception sponsors, Allen Insurance Group/Benefits Connection and Dover Federal Credit Union. Thank you to our media sponsor, Delaware State News. Thank you to our dessert sponsors: Burns & Ellis Realtors, Del-One Federal Credit Union, Dover Pools, Elevations Unlimited, and Shore United Bank. Thank you to our gift sponsor, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. And a special thank you to the team at Pizzadili Winery for sharing their beautiful facility with us.

Tickets for the event are $40 per person or $220 for a table of 6. The deadline to reserve tickets is Thursday, June 17. Reservations can be made by calling the CDCC Office at 302-734-7513. We are excited to gather with you on June 24 at Pizzadili Vineyard & Winery, where we will have much to celebrate — including all our members, for all that they continue to contribute to the excellence of our Central Delaware Business Community!

Upcoming events

•Thursday, June 17: The Military Affaire at the Landings at Dover Air Force Base, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

•Wednesday, June 30: Sunset Business Mixer at Hilton Garden Inn, 5 – 7 p.m.

•Thursday, July 1: Kent County Open for Business, Kent County Levy Court, Room 220. 8:30 – 10 a.m.