ARVADA, Colo., March 28, 2019 – The Arvada Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2018 Man and Woman of the Year, Image Award, Arvada Young Professionals (AYP) Leadership Awards, Rising Star Award, and Pioneer Award winners. Recipients of these awards will be honored at the April 3, 2019 Arvada Chamber of Commerce 68th Annual Awards Luncheon from 11:30-1:00 pm at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities.

The Man and Woman of the Year Awards are a long-standing tradition in Arvada recognizing outstanding men and women in the community for their amazing community involvement, generosity and overall impact on Arvada. Nominations for this award are reviewed by a selection committee made up of previous winners. The 2018 winner of Man of the Year is Jerry Marks and the 2018 winner of Woman of the Year is Patsy Pfaff.

The selection committee also names individuals and/or groups as Image Award Recipients. Image Award winners are selected for their commitment to Arvada and the overall positive image they portray within the community. The committee will be giving out two Image Awards at this year’s event. The first will be awarded to Karen Cowling, for her work with Dental At Your Door and Benefits in Action to assist community members in need of health services. The second award goes to Michael Sudak, who owns and operates My Kid’s Lunch to provide local children with healthy and nutritious school lunch meals.

The recipients of the AYP Leadership Awards are Daniel Ryley and Jen Spettel. Daniel Ryley has served the Arvada Economic Development Association for nearly five years, most recently being named Executive Director in 2018. Daniel also serves as Chair of the Community Leaders of Hope Advisory Committee with Extended Hands of Hope, a Human Rights organization that houses and empowers survivors of child sex trafficking. Jen Spettel is currently the Executive Director of the Susan M. Duncan YMCA. Jen currently serves on the 9Health Fair Board of Trustees and the Retention Committee for the Arvada Economic Development Corporation and is involved in the Healthy Places Initiative through the City of Arvada.

The Rising Star Award recognizes an outstanding high school student in Arvada who has exemplified extraordinary skills in entrepreneurship, innovation, community impact and/or leadership. This year’s Rising Star Award recipient is Katlyn Thiede. Katlyn is currently a junior at Arvada West High School who excels academically with a 4.33 GPA and is a member of the National Art Honor Society. In addition to her academic prowess, she has her own photography business and volunteers with Foothills Animal Shelter. Katlyn is described by her teachers as kind, welcoming, determined, and one-of-a-kind.

The selection committee also has the ability to give out the Pioneer Award to an exceptional leader in the community who has served Arvada for many years and contributed in ways that are unprecedented. This award is only given as needed and is regarded with the highest level of accolades for the recipient’s accomplishments. The committee has selected Mary Jo Giddings to receive the Pioneer Award at this year’s event.

Select recipients will be honored with a video of their accomplishments at the Awards Luncheon. Videos and more information about the wonderful work done by each of the recipients will be released after the event. For more information on attending the awards luncheon, please call 303-424-0313 or visit www.arvadachamber.org/events.

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Media Contact:
Kami Welch President, Arvada Chamber of Commerce
303-424-0313
kami@arvadachamber.org