Southington Chamber Of Commerce Names Awards Recipients

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

May 26, 2022

The Southington Chamber of Commerce has named the recipients of its 84th Annual "Southington Business & Community Achievement Awards," which will be presented June 9 at the Aqua Turf Club.

The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the banquet facility at 556 Mulberry St. It will include a cocktail hour, a sit-down dinner and a silent auction featuring numerous baskets and items generously donated by community businesses.

"This highly anticipated gala recognizes the dedication, leadership and valued contributions of Greater Southington's most engaged business professionals," said Barbara Coleman-Hekeler, president and CEO of the Southington Chamber of Commerce.

Coleman-Hekeler explained that the Chamber has separated its annual meeting into a separate breakfast event. This event, she said, will be the Chamber’s signature event to honor outstanding members and their contributions.

“This year we will also be honoring our 2020 recipients,” said Coleman-Hekeler. “We weren’t able to hold our awards dinner in 2020 and we didn’t select any new recipients in 2021. We had hoped that this dinner could take place last year, but there were more shutdowns.”

The recipients are all Chamber members who nominated by members of the community. For each nominee, those nominating submitted 150 or more word essays about why they were deserving of recognition.

“Every fall we are going to start asking people to submit nominations,” Coleman-Hekeler said. “We encourage people to keep in mind those Chamber members who give back to the community throughout the year. We will have the nomination forms on our Chamber website.”

The Chamber created three new awards this year – The Matt Florian Renaissance Award, the Industry Leader Award and the Veteran-Owned Business of the Year Award.

The Matt Florian Renaissance Award will be presented posthumously in honor of the late Matthew Florian, of Florian Properties. This will replace the Chamber’s beautification awards going forward. Florian, who died in July 2020, was a “visionary” developer, Coleman-Hekeler said.

“We created this award to celebrate Matt’s efforts,” she said. “He was one of the pioneers of revitalizing our central business district. Shortly before I first came to the Chamber in 1993, he served on the economic development committee. He was instrumental in securing grants for the lamp posts, brick sidewalks and benches that you now see downtown. We want to celebrate his passion and the drive for perfection that you see in all of his buildings, whether they are residential or commercial.”

Coleman-Hekeler said that the Southington Community Cultural Arts (SoCCA) building was one of many which Florian developed in town.

“He was a huge partner with the Chamber and a driving force in our community,” she said.

The Industry Leader Award this year will go to Kinsmen Brewing Co. This award is presented each year to a business that exemplifies the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship and individual initiative in their industry.

The Veteran-Owned Business of the Year Award this year will go to Mark Hayden, of Total Pest Control. This award exemplifies significant contributions made by American veteran-owned businesses.

The Business Person of the Year "Riccio Brothers Award" will go to Kathleen Rickard of CompuMail Corporation as the 2020 recipient and and Sisto and Andrea Salzillo of Connecticut Appliance and Fireplace Distributors as the 2022 recipients. This award is presented to outstanding business owners that have demonstrated a sound commitment to Southington as a business leader and community advocate.

The Employee of the Year "Ann Hauver Award" will go to Shannon DeFeo of Barker Specialty for 2020 and Anthony Jordan of The Record Journal for 2022. Recipients of this award are member business employees who exemplify the spirit and ethics of their businesses.

“Tony Jordan is an amazing guy,” said Coleman-Hekeler. “People are very appreciative of him. He always comes in with a smile on his face and he doesn’t always come in to make sales. He says hello and asks how you’re doing.”

The New Chamber Member of the Year award will go to Denise Rivera, of Titanium Theater. This award is presented annually to a new Chamber member that remains in good standing and has demonstrated a commitment to the Chamber.

The Gail DePaolo Community Spirit Award will go to Robert Flood, formerly of Liberty Bank, for 2020 and Calcagni Real Estate for 2022.

The Chamber will also present its 2020 Beautification Awards to Bristol Health Medical Group, FLP Financial Group, Hartford HealthCare, Plan B Southington and Tops Marketplace.

Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased by visiting southingtonchamber.com or calling the Southington Chamber of Commerce at 860-628-8036.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.