Chamber Board Chair Joe Freudenberger, Board Member of the Year Kevin Kohl, Ambassador of the Year Tom Wilson, Committee Member of the Year Katie Yount, Legislative Leadership Award winner Judge Robert Hebert; Business Person of the Year May W. Tape, DDS; Committee Member of the Year Justin Ring, Raymond Saage Volunteer of the Year Award Winner Lisa Matthews, Young Professionals Division Member of the Year Justin Morales, Hispanic Business Division Member of the Year Shirley Jackson and Gilbert Limones, representing Corporate Sponsor of the Year First Victoria National Bank.
The Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance (CFBCA) held its annual Awards Banquet at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond on Friday, January 11th. Several community leaders were honored with awards including May W. Tape, DDS, a pediatric dentist with a practice in Rosenberg, who was the recipient of the Business Person of the Year. Selected by a committee of previous winners including former Rosenberg Mayor Joe M. Gurecky, Tape was the first female in the Chamber’s history to receive this honor.
“We had our work cut out for us when we agreed to serve on the selection committee for the CFBCA in Business Person of the Year,” said Gurecky. “We discussed the qualifications of many candidates, all of whom merited this distinguished honor; yet the discussion seemed to center around this one special person – Dr. May Tape – whose enthusiasm and generous sharing of time, talents and treasure stood out like a beacon in the night.”
Additional honorees at the annual luncheon included Corporate Sponsor of the Year, First Victoria National Bank; Raymond Saage Volunteer of the Year Award, Lisa Matthews, Servpro of West Fort Bend County; Ambassador of the Year, Tom Wilson, Reading Road Self-Storage; Board Member of the Year, Kevin Kohl, Silver Eagle Distributors; Committee Members of the Year, Justin Ring, EHRA, and Katie Yount, McDonough Engineering; Young Professional’s Division Member of the Year, Justin Morales, Greenscape Associates and Hispanic Business Division Member of the Year, Shirley Jackson, La Casona Mexican Restaurant.
The Chamber also presented two special, one-time awards. The first honored late Richmond Mayor Hilmar G. Moore, who served in that post for a believed national record 63 years before his passing at age 92, with a Lifetime Service Award. Moore’s wife and current Richmond Mayor, Evalyn, accepted the award on behalf of the Moore Family.
The Chamber also recognized Fort Bend County Judge Robert “Bob” Hebert with a Legislative Leadership Award. Hebert spearheaded an effort that ultimately reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program for another five years, thwarting a proposal by the Senate Banking Committee that would have mandated the purchase of insurance for all areas protected by a levee, including areas in the 500-year floodplain for a 500-year levee. Such a provision would have been economically devastating to Fort Bend County residents and businesses located behind FEMA accredited levees built and maintained by local taxpayers.