Six outstanding
local businesses were recognized with Excellence in Business 2020 awards on
Friday, January 30 by Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce.
“These awards recognize businesses that embody the values and culture of the chamber of commerce,” said Mark Murray, Chamber Chairman. “We are pleased to recognize these businesses for their valuable services and also for the way they give back to the community.”
Awards were
presented to Michael Murphy, Mount Vernon Columbus Club; Kenneth Wood, The Skrimp Shack; Ellen Meyer, In Stitches
Needlework; Don Cammarata, Covanta Fairfax; and Michael
Drobnis, OptfinITy.
Joel Bernstein, ECCA
Payroll, was recognized as the Chamber Citizen of the Year. Joel has
consistently provided outstanding service to many local businesses and mentored
entrepreneurs starting a business.
Bernstein
has served several terms on the Mount Vernon Lee Chamber Board of Directors. He
also serves on the Board of the Alexandria Salvation Army, is a member of the
Arlington/ Alexandria Workforce Council and a Board member of the West End
Business Association.
Covanta Fairfax’s outstanding efforts to provide environmentally sustainable waste management and their commitment to the local community show the important role it has played in Fairfax County and the greater DC region.
Covanta fights
climate change by processing more than one million tons of waste every year,
preventing that waste from going to landfills and creating greenhouse gas
pollution. Our community is fortunate to have one of their modern waste-to-energy
facilities in Lorton.
Covanta Fairfax
has been an active community member and strong supporter of local
organizations.
OptfinITY and
founder Michael Drobnis were recognized with an award. OptfinITy is a managed
IT Services firm founded in 2002 and located in Springfield. It provides 24 x7
support and monitoring of systems. It provides Virtual CIO services, network
security, only security training.
CEO
Michael Drobnis is the proud father of three daughters and is actively involved
in coaching youth sports teams, teaching youth cybersecurity, and providing
leadership for many chambers of commerce in Northern Virginia.
In
Stitches Needlework was recognized as a stellar example of a locally owned,
one-of-a-kind, small business. Its loyal customers visit the shop for the
latest designs in both counted cross-stitch and needlepoint.
Owner
Ellen Meyer celebrated owning In Stitches for 25 years last September.
She said needlework and gotten many through the pandemic.
Ellen is also very active in Nelly’s Needlers, serving as treasurer in this all-volunteer organization that contributes both money and time to Woodlawn. Named after Eleanor “Nelly” Custis, a granddaughter of Martha Washington, Nelly’s Needlers just passed the million dollar mark in funds contributed to Woodlawn.
Mount Vernon Columbus Club was recognized as the nonprofit organization of the year. For more than 35 years, the Mount Vernon Columbus Club—a nonprofit charitable corporation with deep Catholic roots—has been dedicated to supporting our neighbors and strengthening our communities.
The
proceeds from their week Bingo session are donated to numerous 501(c)(3)
charities to benefit local, national, and global causes. In the last two years,
their total charitable donations were $450,000. In
addition, they provide dollars and volunteers to support many local projects.
The 2020 New Business of the Year was The Skrimp Shack, a restaurant specializing in fast, fresh seafood in Mount Vernon Plaza. Owner Kenneth McLeon, a retired Marine, didn’t expect a pandemic when he made plans to open the restaurant but persevered through many difficulties to a grand opening in October.
PHOTO CAPTION: Left to right Mark Murray, Chamber chairman;
Michael Murphy, Mount
Vernon Columbus Club; Mauricio Rojas and Kenneth Wood, The Skrimp Shack;
Joel Bernstein, ECCA
Payroll; Ellen Meyer,
In Stitches Needlework; Don Cammarata, Covanta Fairfax;
Michael Drobnis, OptfinITy.
