Los Gatos Chamber honors Hometown Heroes
Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce celebrated its own Feb. 6 at the 23rd annual “Hometown Heroes” awards, held at La Rinconada Country Club.
Keller Williams Bay Area Estates nabbed Business of the Year honors for “championing the local schools and sports teams (and) sponsoring town organizations and events” such as Jazz on the Plazz, Music in the Park and the Los Gatos Police Officers Association.
Other real estate agents honored were Brian Bernasconi and Dan Rubnitz of the Sereno Group, who were named Rising Stars despite the fact that they’ve been in the business for a combined 40 years.
Their recent partnership earned them the award, according to the Chamber. “They promote Los Gatos every chance they get. … They have become two of the best ambassadors Los Gatos has ever had.”
Loma Brewing Company took the Innovator of the Year award “for the creative ways they have added vitality to their own business and to the whole town.” The Chamber pointed to Loma’s trivia, movie and sports nights and noted that owner Kevin Youkilis,general manager Dan Reineke and executive chef Aubree Arndt “are always the first to get involved with town issues and rally the interests of downtown businesses.”
Stefanie Nelson was crowned Los Gatos Champion for her work with the House of Hope food pantry that serves the homeless, as well as the Los Gatos Education Foundation. According to the Chamber, “Stefanie exemplifies what it means to be a community champion.”
Special Honoree Matt Morley, the town’s parks and public works director, was lauded for working “tirelessly to bring order and beauty to Los Gatos.”
According to the Chamber, Morley ensures that the town’s “parks are beautiful, streets are cleaned, trees are trimmed (and) potholes are filled.”
About 150 people attended the awards gala, and Chamber Executive Director Catherine Somers said it was a sell-out crowd.