North Conway, NH– The Mt Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce has announce the 2018 Annual MWV Business Award winners that will be honored at the 106^th MWVCC Annual Meeting, Dinner & Awards on October 30, 2018 at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort.

This year’s awards will recognizes successful businesses with the Employer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, White Mountains Treasure awards, and the Steve Eastman Community Spirit award in conjunction with the Steve Eastman family.

Tickets to the dinner are sold out, but tickets for the cocktail hour are still available for $20 per person. Tickets include an extensive silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, and networking opportunities. Registration opens at 5:00pm with cocktails and festivities. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm with a brief meeting and review of the Chamber’s past year and future initiatives. For cocktail hour tickets, contact Michelle Cruz at 603-356-5701 ext. 302 or via email at [email protected].

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award is awarded to a business that has been in the Valley seven or more years that fills a need within the community and demonstrates creativity, innovation and community involvement.

This year the Entrepreneur of the Year Award goes the team at Coldwell Banker Wright Realty of Antonella Bliss, Lindsey Maihos and Rose Robinson. Their leadership at Coldwell Banker Wright began the same year as the economic crisis, and though the company has experienced ups and downs, 11 years later it has more than doubled its sales volume. The company has been recognized as the Premier Bronze Office by Coldwell Banker. Their commitment toward the industry has pushed them to host a real estate course in Conway for young professionals, which gives the opportunity to take the course and obtain a real estate license here in the Valley. As a business team, they give back to the community through time and donations, encouraging others within the company to also give back to the community.

The Employer of the Year Award is given each year to a business that demonstrates respect for employees and other business partners and excellence in creating a safe and inviting workplace.  The Employer of the Year is also a business offering solid pay/benefits and the opportunity for training and advancement.

This year the Employer of the Year Award goes to Badger Realty. Since 1965, Badger Realty has been a staple of the Mount Washington Valley and a leader of community projects, volunteerism, and advancement. Dick Badger & Brenda Leavitt have created a family-oriented culture within an industry that had not historically been recognized through teamwork. They believe in the power of continuing education and encourage their employees to continue their professional development through education and training whenever possible. Since 1995, Badger Realty has hosted an annual holiday party that included travel, lodging and meals for their employees and significant others. These annual trips have rewarded and brought happy employees (and spouses) to such destinations as Bermuda (5 times), Aruba, Captiva, the Bahamas, Walt Disney World, and Quebec. A sign of a healthy company is their dedication to the community, which is why local non-profit organizations are crowded with Badger Realty’s agents and support staff. Some of the organizations served by Badger employees include Jen’s Friends, End 68 Hours of Hunger, Habitat for Humanity, Starting Point, Arts Jubilee, the Miranda Leavitt Diabetes Fund and the Mt. Washington Valley Trails Association. Since longevity is an indication of a positive workplace, it’s notable that 18 employees with 10 or more years of service at Badger Realty, and eleven of those have more than 20 years.

The White Mountains Treasure Award recognizes individuals in the Mt. Washington Valley who have given a lifetime of time and talent to the Valley. The award was established as a way to honor individuals who exemplify that success is not measured by what they accomplish in life for themselves but by what they do for others and the community.

The first recipient for the 2019 White Mountains Treasure Award is Floyd Corson. Floyd can be found every Sunday playing the organ at the First Church of Christ. He began his volunteering experience by stepping in to cover the organ for a single Christmas season, and instead remained the volunteer organist for the last 19 years. As an accomplished organist and pianist, Floyd has brought outstanding musical performances for anyone present at church on Sundays.  In addition to his Sunday services, Floyd was the pioneer of the White Mountain Musical Arts and the Bach Festival, which celebrated its 30^th year this past summer. Floyd is highly regarded amongst his peers and the main reason the Mount Washington Valley has been fortunate enough to host so many talented musicians of his field for such little money is a result of their respect for him. He’s also an accomplished hiker, who’s summited all of New Hampshire’s 4000 footers, and this passion has moved him to volunteer at the Mount Washington Observatory.

The second recipient of the White Mountains Treasure Award are Shirley and Richard Van Dyne, described as mainstays of Memorial Hospital’s entrance for 10 years – and that’s just the beginning. The list of Shirley & Richard Van Dyne’s combined service is extensive, and includes (but is probably not limited to) helping with Tin Mountain Conservation Center, North Conway Community Center, MWV Mud Bowl, Volvo Tennis Tournament, RSVP of Carroll County, The Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, John Fuller School reading programs, Madison Elementary School, the Albany Historical Society, Girl Scouts of America, Meals on Wheels, blood drives with the American Red Cross, the Albany Civic Group, and Memorial Hospital. The Van Dyne’s have logged in over 2500 hours of service to Memorial Hospital alone over these last ten years, and their service to the community through the aforementioned organizations spans more than 50 years.

Working with family members of the late Steve Eastman, the Mt Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce includes the Steve Eastman Community Spirit Award on the list of MWV Business Awards presentations once again this year. Created to honor of the late Steve Eastman, (1949-2008) former MWVCC board member, longtime community leader and former Mountain Ear newspaper founding publisher and editor, this award recognizes a strong community leader.  Steve’s business life personified what it means to give back to the community. Through his editorial coverage and sponsorship, Steve Eastman loved to promote the performing arts and appreciated what they did to enrich the cultural life of Mt. Washington Valley. The Steve Eastman Community Spirit Award is given annually by members of the Eastman family to the person who personifies Steve’s passion and zest for life, for helping the community, and for carrying on Steve’s love for Mt Washington Valley.

This year’s Steve Eastman Award recipient is Cindy Russell.  Cindy Russell, 76, stepped down prior to this past season as executive director of Arts Jubilee, the valley’s celebration of the performing arts. She passed the baton to Bob Sheehan, 27, her understudy the past three years, who has the title of arts administrator. Russell stayed on for the summer, serving as his transitional mentor. Russell was a music educator in New Jersey and Connecticut before her family moved to North Conway in the early 1980s. She taught music at the Josiah Bartlett Elementary School in Bartlett and the Kenneth E. Brett School in Tamworth. n 1982, she was asked to help plan an outdoor concert in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the Volvo Tennis Tournament. “The concert was a huge success, with phone calls and letters coming to the chamber office afterward, requesting that it become an annual affair,” Russell recalled, and from this concert, Arts Jubilee became a sponsored summer event in Mt Washington Valley. According to Cindy Russell, Arts Jubilee’s mission has remained the same since the beginning: to bring live performing arts rarely found outside metropolitan centers to the residents and visitors of the greater Mount Washington Valley. The concert series evolved over the years and has been held at Cranmore Mountain since 2006. Formerly executive director of the Mount Washington Valley Musical Arts Association, she continues to promote the organization’s events, including the annual Bach Festival through her website, mwvevents.com. In the past, she has managed the town of Conway’s Fourth of July Celebration, Mt. Washington Valley New Year’s Festival; Polar Express and the Jackson, NH Bicentennial Celebration in 2000.

She also chaired the Conway Whitaker Homesite Masterplan Committee for the Whitaker property at the head of North Conway’s Main Street and was also the driving force behind the creation of the Connie Davis Watson Park, located at the corner of Main and Pine Streets in North Conway Village.

For more information about these awards and nominees or the 106^th MWVCC Annual Meeting, Dinner & Awards, visit www.MtWashingtonValley.org.

BERLIN, N.H. — Officials in New Hampshire say a man found dead and face down in the Androscoggin River likely drowned.

New Hampshire State Police say they found 62-year-old John Wells of Leesburg, Florida in the river at around 7 o’clock Saturday morning near Berlin, and pronounced him dead at the scene.

Officers said that Wells was camping along the river with friends Friday night.  One of the campers woke up Saturday morning and found Wlls next to the campsite in approximately sixteen to twenty-four inches of water.

Investigators said that the incident is still under investigation and alcohol impairment may be a contributing factor.

Responding agencies included the Berlin Police Department and Berlin Fire and Rescue.

If anyone witnessed this incident or has additional information, they are requested to contact New Hampshire State Police – Marine Patrol Sergeant Seth Alie at 603-227-2117 or via email at [email protected] .