South Lake Union Chamber announces winners of the 2014 excellence in business awards

This year's recipients for Excellence in Business, Excellence in Sustainability, Retailer of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year were announced on Wednesday, January 21 at the SLU Chamber’s annual awards breakfast.

Amazon.com is the recipient of 2014 Excellence in Business for a large business. Amazon is a renowned global organization committed to their presence in South Lake Union, which can be seen in many of their large-scale community efforts. They chose to invest in South Lake Union because an urban campus has many unique benefits – which is why they continue to expand here.

Caffé Torino is the recipient of 2014 Excellence in Business for a small business. Caffe Torino opened its doors in October 2012.  In close to three years, the cafe has become a destination for many workers and residents who go there daily for coffee or lunch. Caffe Torino has a great reputation of excelling in business and community support.

Zipcar is the 2014 Excellence in Sustainability recipient. Zipcar is a pioneer as the world’s leader in car sharing with nearly a million active members, for the past 15 years. In the coming year they look forward to bringing more Zip to more places across the globe and right here in South Lake Union.

Seattle Children's Research Institute (SCRI) received the award for 2014 Nonprofit of the Year. Located in downtown Seattle’s biotech corridor, SCRI is pushing the boundaries of medical research to find cures for pediatric diseases and improve outcomes for children all over the world.

Whole Foods Market – South Lake Union is the recipient for Retailer of the Year. Whole Foods is proud to be a corner stone in South Lake Union Community for the past 8 years. They are a place to gather and an anchor for the community. They have found it very exciting to see this area grow up around them and look forward to being part of the continued growth.

Dena Lee is the 2014 Volunteer of the Year recipient. Dena Lee is a resident of the Cascade neighborhood of SLU. She is a creative dance educator and a retired catering chef. She is an arts advocate and one of the founding co-chairs of the SLU Art Walk. Dena believes that the arts can be a catalyst for positive change resulting in stronger, healthier community.

The SLU Chamber hosted their 7^th Annual Awards breakfast at SpringHill Suites. Vulcan Real Estate and Recology were sponsors of the event. Athletic Awards Company provided awards for recipients.

There was also a panel discussion hosted by South Lake Union Community Council President, Mike McQuaid. Panel guests included Jon Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association; Renee Klein, SLU Resident; Ron Johnson, Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition; and Robert S. Arron, Senior Director at Vulcan Real Estate.

The panel discussed issues to support the SLU Chambers theme of "SLU 20/20: The vision for today and 5 years from now. The panel was tasked to answer the question "Is South Lake Union relevant?" The conclusion by the panel and audience was a resounding yes.

Front row: Curt Archambault, SLU Chamber Board President; Megan Nelson, Director of Community Relations, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Tami Littlefield, Store Team Leader, Wholefoods Market-South Lake Union; Dena Lee, SLU Resident and Volunteer; Ben Grace, Marketing Specialist, Amazon

Back row: Brandon Bills, Marketing & Community Relations Team Leader, Wholefoods Market-South Lake Union; Andrea Florissi, Owner, Caffe Torino; Kaleb Miller, General Manger, Zipcar

Photo credit: Lifestring Photography