Chamber honors its own

LYNNFIELD – A snow delay did little to dampen the spirits of the nearly 200 Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce members who came out Thursday to Spinelli’s to celebrate the 2014 Annual Meeting and Business Excellence Awards.Ten individuals and three businesses walked away winners, including The Daily Item’s own Reader Services Manager Nancy Jones. Jones was picked for the Carol Vasapolli Volunteer of the Year Award for being “a volunteer extraordinaire.”{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”c62d32cc-8fa7-11e3-89b2-001a4bcf887a”}}Blue Ox owner Matt O’Neil took home the top prize, winning Business Person of the Year.”You just came straight from the grill. I know how that feels,” said LACC Chairman Taso Nickolakopoulos, owner of John’s Roast Beef, who presented the award to O’Neil.O’Neil called the award an honor and said he was mindful that it was really a tribute to his staff, many of whom have been with him since he opened his Oxford Street restaurant.”Which is rare in my industry,” he added.O’Neil quoted his favorite chef, Jacques Pepin, when he told the crowd that “cooking is the art of adjustment,” and that he tries to take that same approach in his management style.Past Chairman Ralph Sevinor made a special presentation of the Chairman’s Award, standing in for Immediate Past Chairman David Solimine Jr., who could not attend. Sevinor noted that the award is not necessarily given out on a yearly basis, but Solimine felt there was one individual who had gone above and beyond volunteer expectations, Peter Colarusso of SCORE. SCORE is a national nonprofit that provides free counseling and mentoring to entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses.”We’re in a better place because of him,” Sevinor said.Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home, St. Jean’s Credit Union and Salvy the Florist were each awarded the Buddy Fennell Hall of Fame Award for their long-standing LACC membership. The three businesses have been around 80 years, 104 years and 52 years, respectively, or as Nickolakopoulos pointed out, for a combined 236 years of service.Lynn Museum Director Kate Luchini also said she was honored to receive the David Solimine Sr. Community Service Award. Girls Inc. Executive Director Deb Ansourlian said she was surprised when she heard her name called for the Multicultural Business Leadership Award.”It is really very nice,” she said.{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”c62d32cc-8fa7-11e3-89b2-001a4bcf887a”}}City and Town Pride Awards were handed out to a municipal employee or resident who made strides in enhancing both the residential and business community in their respective communities. In Lynn, Mark DeJoie of Centerboard was honored. In Lynnfield, the award went to Arthur Bourque and Robert MacKendrick, both former selectmen, for their vision in clearing the way for MarketStreet Lynnfield, the multi-use development on Walnut Street that includes 200 residential units, 85 retail shops and 15 restaurants and one upscale bowling alley.Britte Roossien, founder of 01908, “a volunteer organization made up of a committed group of islanders dedicated to all things Nahant,” picked up the Nahant Pride Award and Swampscott’s Public Works Director Gino Cresta was awarded the Swampscott Pride Award.Along with handing out awards, City Council President Dan Cahill gave a welcome from himself and Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, who could not attend the ceremony, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday.Sevinor also oversaw the election of an Executive Board that includes Nickolakopoulos as chairman, The Daily Item’s Phil Ouellette as vice-chairman, North Shore Community College’s Cathy Anderson as secretary and Eastern Bank’s Teresa Sarno as treasurer.”I believe this is the best board I can ever remember,” Sevinor said. “I am very excited about this.”