Congratulations to Tammy Klingele, Administrator of Crystal Bluffs Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Morehead City. She is the 2011 Crystal Coast Business Woman of the Year and received her awardduring luncheon ceremonies October 20 at The Country Club of the Crystal Coast in Pine Knoll Shores. She was cited for her business leadership and management skills, level of community involvement, innovation within her industry and ability to form effective partnerships. The awards program is a joint effort of the NCCOAST Business Journal, Crystal: A Coastal Magazine for Women and the Chamber.

Young business professionals in Carteret County have launched an organization known as “Connect Carteret, A Young Professionals Network.” The group is endorsed as an independent entity by the Chamber and the Economic Development Council. For more information about “Connect Carteret, A Young Professionals Network,” contact Andrew Wheeler at andrew.t.wheeler@wellsfargo.com or Bridget Curran at bridget_1126@hotmail.com

At its annual Planning Conference on January 20, the Chamber’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a Resolution of Support for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and Fleet Readiness Center East. “We want to ensure that eight squadrons of the F-35B Joint Strike Fighters are based at Cherry Point and that FRC East is the primary depot to service, maintain and repair the aircraft. We want to protect the 3,500 civilian jobs at FRC East,” said Chamber Chair Mal Garland.

We did it! Sort of. Beaufort and Hammondsport, N.Y., were declared co-winners this morning in the Budget Travel magazine online contest to find “America’s Coolest Small Town.” Voting closed January 31, but talk about high drama: The volume of late night votes “broke the site” and it came crashing down. Budget Travel editors announced the only fair thing to do, because an undetermined number of voters were locked out of the web site, was to call the race a tie. Of the votes recorded, Beaufort was ahead with 36.2 percent of the vote, compared to Hammondsport’s 36.0 percent. More than 360,000 votes were cast at www.budgettravel.com, setting a new record for “audience participation.” 

The Chamber presents Business After Hours from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, sponsored and hosted by the Arts Council of Carteret County. “We are excited about bringing our Chamber members together with the talented local artists, as part of the Arts Council’s annual ‘Art From the Heart’ celebration,” said the Chamber’s Julie Naegelen. Our location this year is undetermined, but we are now accepting reservations. Admission is $5 per person; please pay in advance at Chamber headquarters, 801 Arendell St., Morehead City, or call 726-6350. 

The Chamber’s Board of Directors will host a special Annual Awards Reception from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 8. “We are working out final details for a location and the admission charge,” said the Chamber’s Mike Wagoner, “but go ahead and put this date on your calendar. This will be a nice evening of networking, similar to the format at Business After Hours, when we honor the Ambassador of the Year, the Small Business Person of the Year and the Citizen of the Year. We will also present the Cassie Algeo Award for Extraordinary Chamber Leadership to a member who has served the Chamber well in 2011. 2011 Chair Tom Kies will present the gavel to 2012 Chair Mal Garland.