BUSINESS AWARDS
2021 Business of the Year Dinner
Celebrating Local Businesses Big and Small
By Hayli Zuccola
With original plans to combine the Chamber Gala with the Business of the Year dinner scrapped , the 2021 Business of the Year celebration was restructured into an afternoon luncheon at the beautiful Heritage Park and Gardens .
“ With the pandemic the last two years we have tried to ease our way back into our full-scale event and so the year prior we had a smaller luncheon to honor those and then we moved into the larger venue for 2021 , we moved into Heritage Park and Gardens ,” said Hillary Cannon , the Executive Director of the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce . “ This year we ’ re very excited for 2022 we are going back to our full-scale event at the Suwannee Coliseum in October .”
On October 26 , 2021 , chamber members and nominees for large , medium and small businesses of the year as well as those for nonprofit of the year , gathered under the new youth pavilion at Heritage Park and Gardens against a backdrop of sunny skies and sounds of nature . Guests were also treated to a catered lunch provided by 11th Street Kitchen before the reveal of the 2021 Business of the Year winners .
> Large Business of the Year : Lafayette State Bank
Lafayette State Bank has been serving Lafayette , Suwannee , Gilchrist and the surrounding counties since 1946 . As an independently opened and operated business , they are always striving to meet the needs of community members and today , the company has branches in Mayo , Branford , Live Oak and Bell . From personal and business accounts to offering a variety of loans , Lafayette State Bank provides an array of banking services in a knowledgeable , respectable and friendly environment , which is why they were named the Suwannee Chamber of Commerce ’ s 2021 Large Business of the Year .
“ Being named Large Business of the Year has been a true honor and a blessing . We strive in ensuring our customer service is our top priority . We are so grateful to be a part of such an amazing community ,” said Gloria Camejo Arroyo , the Vice President and Branch Manager of Lafayette State Bank in Live Oak .
112 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2022-2023