PORT ANGELES — Finalists for the 2025 Port Angeles Community Awards have been named in six categories by the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
A community awards gala will be conducted at 7 p.m. Jan. 31 at Field Arts & Events Hall, 201 W. Front St., Port Angeles. A winner from each category will be announced during the event.
Tickets are $115 for individuals, and table sponsorships also are available. They can be purchased at https://tinyurl.com/yz6dbwnt.
This is the ninth year that the chamber has produced the annual community awards, which include Citizen of the Year, Young Leader of the Year, Educator of the Year, Business of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year and Organization of the Year.
Nominees do not have to be chamber members and the judging panel does not represent the chamber.
All citizens, businesses and organizations from the greater Port Angeles area are eligible to be nominated by any community member.
A panel of eight judges, selected from the community at large, reviewed all nominations in a series of in-person and video meetings, and they selected the finalists in each category.
The finalists in each category are (in alphabetical order):
Citizen of the Year — John Fox, Steve Hargis and Christine Loewe.
Young Leader of the Year — Kayla Fairchild, Easton Joslin and Anna Sanders.
Educator of the Year — Rodger Johnson, Rick Ross and Wendy Sampson.
Business of the Year — Buena Luz bakery, Country Aire Natural Foods and Onyx MVMNT Studio.
Emerging Business of the Year — Angeles Rentals Equipment & Supply, The Hub and Mighty Pine Brewery.
Organization of the Year — Clallam County 4H, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Peninsula Trails Coalition.
This year’s judging panel included: Tom Baerman, owner of Pacific Office Equipment; Kenny Fredrickson, president of Olympic Electric; Sam Grello, executive director of the Port Angeles Waterfront District; Cindy Kelly, former Port Angeles school board member; Marsha Massey, executive director of the Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau; Jason Robinson, deposit support specialist for First Fed; Yara Una, human resources manager for Brix Marine; and Jaycie Wakefield, development director for United Way of Clallam County.
For more information, call Leslie Robertson at 661-755-3334, email events@portangeles.org or visit www.portangeles.org.
