2023 SGACC Foundation Gala Program

ST. GEORGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

6:00 pm 7:00 pm 7:30 pm 7:45 pm 8:15 pm 9:00 pm

Red Carpet, Hors D'oeuvres, & Cash Bar

Dinner Served

Board of Directors Recognition

Areté Awards

Doug Watts

Kelle Stephens Kent Perkins

Dueling Pianos with 2 Grand Entertainment

Event Concludes

SPECIAL

ST. GEORGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EVENTS COMMITTEE

ASHLEY DOVE

The Advenire, Autograph Collection & wood. ash.rye (Committee Chair)

SHONIE CHRISTENSEN

The Shonie Insurance Group - Allstate

LAURA HIRSCHI

InfoWest

NICOLE BRIGGS

Team Surge KW Realty

ANNIE SIMKINS

St. George Area Chamber of Commerce

SHAWN CHRISTENSEN

St. George Area Chamber of Commerce

ST. GEORGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE STAFF

SHAWN CHRISTENSEN

President & CEO

ANNIE SIMKINS

Director of Member Services

NATE MARTINEZ

Director of Operations & Policy Engagement

RIC LUPIANO

Administrative Assistant

ST. GEORGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SHONIE CHRISTENSEN

The Shonie Insurance Group - Allstate (Chair)

KYLE CASE

Huntsman World Senior Games (Past Chair)

BRAD HARKER

bradharker.com (Vice Chair)

ANNIE HOWELL

Watts Construction (Treasurer)

ASHLEY DOVE

The Advenire, Autograph Collection & wood.ash.rye

BRAD PLOTHOW

Intergalactic

BROCK RASMUSSEN

Stele

KURT IVIE

Washington City Council

MACRAE HEPPLER

Eagle Gate Title

TASHA TOY

Utah Tech University

DANIELLE EDGREN

Cheesecake Culture

MATT HEATON

Elevated Networks

MATT RILEY

Nomad

JOSHUA LITTLE

Dentons Durham Jones & Pinegar

ST. GEORGE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD OF GOVERNORS

STEVEN BROUGH

Zions Bank (Chair)

BRAD STUCKI

Bank of Utah

BRETT BROWN

Dominion Energy

BRITTANY MCMICHAEL

Greater Zion

BEN LINDQUIST

Canyon Media

BRIAN GILES

Jones Paint & Glass

CAROL HOLLOWELL

Switchpoint Community Resource Center

CHIP CHILDS

SkyWest

ISAAC BARLOW

Tech Ridge

JOHN CANNON

Mountain America Credit Union

JORDAN RUSHTON

KRISTY PIKE

Washington County Children's Justice Center

LORI WRIGHT

Family Healthcare

MARK PETERSON

Altabank

MICHELE RANDALL

St. George City

MILES HANSEN

World Trade Center Utah

MITCHELL CLOWARD

Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital

RICHARD WILLIAMS

PATRICK MANNING SHELLY HARRIS

Utah Tech University

SHAUN SAMPSON

Dixie Tech Black Desert Resort Cache Valley Bank

SUZANNE OLIVER

Mountain America Credit Union

TIMOTHY ANDERSON

State Bank of Southern Utah Kirton McConkie

BEN BRATON

Photographer

LANGENHEIM CREATIVE GROUP

Videographer

ADRIANA HOWARD, ADRIMADE

Printed Marketing

PATCHES OF IRIS & VIOLETS

Flowers

Congratulations

DOUG WATTS

At Watts Construction, we are proud of the mark Doug has made on this community in both building it and giving back. We are grateful for his leadership, commitment, and the impact he has made. He is the prime example that Experience Builds Excellence.

For your many years of vision and leadership that has built a foundation that will continue to have a significant impact on the entire community.

Former Dixie Technical College President

Kelle Stephens 2023 Areté Award Recipient

DANIELLE EDGREN Cheesecake Culture

MATT RILEY Nomad

MATT HEATON Elevated Networks

The St. George Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the third annual Areté Awards.

Rooted deep in Greek history, Areté means excellence in all things. The notion of excellence was ultimately bound to the idea of complete fulfillment – the act of living up to one’s full potential. The Areté Award recognizes business or community leaders of the highest caliber. These leaders excel in their profession while dedicating their time and resources to the betterment of the St. George Area. They are leaders in the workplace, innovators in their industry, and assets to our community. We congratulate our 2023 Areté Awardees.

Dougie Watts found his love of the outdoors in the foothills of Mt. Logan in Cache Valley. He found his love of building in the smell of his grandfather’s lumber yard and the blue collars of his father’s construction company. With the promise of prosperity, he packed up his wife and three children and moved to Southern Utah in 1985. He lives here with his proud and cute sweetheart B.

Well known as pathologically honest and disagreeable, he is an unlikely collaborator in design and construction management and loves the deep relationships he develops through the design and build cycle. Many local buildings were designed and built by his companies. Indeed, Watts is the unrivaled leader for having built the most non-residential buildings in the County. Many of these have brought

Dougeconomic prosperity and legacy value to the community.

Doug lent his expertise for positive growth through his many years representing economic development and other community functions. As a professional, he was Chairman of the Utah Associated General Contractors.

The greatest reward is looking back to the buildings he made; buildings the community uses to live and work in. Doug bores his grandchildren by pointing out every one of them.

Doug is honored to receive an award from the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce. He dearly loves Washington County and its people—the community that helped him along the way. Doug loves to find creative ways to give back to the community. His favorite charity is Washington County Children’s Justice Center. In his honor, he requests that you join him in donating big to their new building coming in late 2023.

Kelle

Kelle Stephens was born in Price, Utah. She owned and operated a BaskinRobbins for 8 years and is very good at 2.5 oz scoops and decorating cakes in a hurry so they don't melt!

Kelle moved to St. George in 1991. She received a BA from BYU and a MSS from Utah State.

Her career started at what was then Dixie College as the director of Custom Fit Training, a statefunded program to help businesses maintain their competitive edge through employee training and development. After 18 years in Custom Fit, Kelle was made Vice-President of Instruction at Dixie Tech, a position she held for 2 years until 2012 when she was named President.

During her tenure, President Stephens grew the college from 6 to 26 accredited programs, enrollment of certificate-seeking students grew from less than 200 to over 1400, and graduates grew

from less than 100 to 684! Perhaps her most notable accomplishment is the establishment of a permanent campus for Dixie Technical College, located on the former home of the regional airport. The 160,000-squarefoot newly constructed facility was completed in the fall of 2017. Its modern industrial architecture validates the students who pursue a technical college education and validates the importance of the careers they pursue. She added 11,000 square feet of renovated space to the campus from a gift from St. George City of the old airport terminal. President Stephens always held the bar high and expected only the best from faculty and staff. They came through for her.

She retired last May after a 30-year career in technical education, spending her last 10 years as President of Dixie Technical College. Since retiring, she's enjoying time with her husband of nearly 45 years, Larry, their 3 adult children and spouses (Cade and Laurie Stephens, Leigh and Brecken Cox, and Amee and Landon Cameron) and 11 grandchildren.

Kent was born in Ogden, Utah, and was raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He attended Brigham Young University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with an emphasis in broadcasting, and a Master's of Recreation Education degree with an emphasis in municipal recreation administration.

Kent worked as the Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Newark, Delaware, taught Parks and Recreation courses as an adjunct at the University of Delaware, served as Recreation Supervisor for the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Department of Parks and Recreation, and worked for Provo City Parks and Recreation, BYU Intramurals, and the U.S. Forest Service. Kent was then hired as St. George Leisure Services Director in 1982 and retired in 2017 after 35 years of service.

KentKent has served as member and Chair of the State Trails Advisory Board, adjunct member of the Virgin River Land Preservation Association, St. George Shade Tree and Beautification Board, St. George Sports and Events Commission, member of NRPA and URPA, member and Chair of the BYU Recreation Management Alumni Advisory Board, and member of the BYU Experience Management Industry Advisory Board.

Kent and his wife Lynne are the parents of six children and grandparents to 18. He is an avid BYU fan and enjoys golf, gardening, photography, and hiking, church service, family gatherings, and the high quality of life in St. George.

ENTERTAINMENT 2

MICHAEL MASTROMATTEO

was

born in Grosse Pointe Michigan. He started playing piano at the age of seven for family functions and talent shows.

After moving to Paradise California in 1977 he went on to get his degree in music from CSUC. Performing in bands, piano bars and restaurants helped him pay his way through college.

After graduating in 1992 he performed in piano bars, pubs and cruise ships as a troubadour across Europe and Scandinavia.

In 1993 he started his career as a Dueling Piano Entertainer at little Ditty’s in Sacramento. His love of performing for live audiences has kept him very busy for the past 20+ years. He has since performed for many Dueling Piano Bars across the country such as Howl at the Moon in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, FL - Royal Caribbean Cruise lines out of Miami and Los Angeles - Rum Runners in Lansing, MI, Grand Rapids, MI and Charlotte NC – Stray Cats in Huston, TX - Rosie O’ Grady’s in Pensacola, FL – Lucille’s in Milwaukee, WI - The Reef in Boulder, CO – The Soiled Dove in Denver, CO –88 Key’s in Seattle, WA – Ernie Biggs in Little Rock, AR - Karma in Ferndale, MI - 88’s in Hollywood,

FL – Peanut Bar in Anchorage, AK - Elaine’s at the Grove Park Inn in Ashville, NC – Wall Bangers in Portland, OR - Blue Moon in Des Moines, IABoogie Woogies in Boise, ID - Chopstix in Seattle, Tacoma, Everett WA – Sluggers in Chicago, IL -JD”s Key Club in Pontiac and Port Huron, MI – Johnny Foley’s in San Francisco, CA – The Swingin’ Door in San Mateo, CA – That Bar in Danville, CA – Gold Country casino in Oroville, CA - Piano Piano in Claremont, CA – Sgt. Pepper’s in Long Beach, CAHarrah’s, Mont Blu and Bills casinos in Lake Tahoe, NV - New York New York, Harrah’s, Rio, Encore and the Desert Inn casinos in Las Vegas, NV

He has helped open seven Dueling Piano Bars been Entertainment Director for four and has trained many of the successful duelers performing today.

In 2004 he opened his own Dueling Piano Bar, “2 Grand Saloon” in Old Sacramento.

Currently he is now married to his lovely wife, of 10 years, Susie and is the proud father of two beautiful little girls, Ella and Ava. He is also the CEO of, “2 Grand Entertainment” a company which Produces Traveling Dueling Piano shows for private parties, corporate events, weddings, fund raisers, fairs, casinos etc…

KYRA LÉON is an Orlando FL based singer/ songwriter who uses her classical piano training into a pop/rock urban sound that reflects her multicultural background. She started making music after building a following of over 47k Tiktok followers through creating videos and live-streaming during the pandemic. Her new fan base has inspired her

to create music that helps people realize their own potential and push past their limited beliefs. KYRA has been a dueling pianist for the past couple of years and worked at Disney and Universal as an actor/singer. Her influences include Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Aerosmith, the Temptations and Stevie Wonder.

ABOUT THE

As a hub for businesses, the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to supporting its members, elevating the local economy and championing community prosperity.

SUPPORT OUR MEMBERS

RESOURCES

We deliver meaningful business resources to our members. The Chamber has its pulse on the needs of the business community and responds with valuable resources internally and through our vast networks of strategic partners.

TRAINING

We ensure our members are at the “top of their game.” Business owners, managers, and staff are able to access world-class seminars at our weekly lunches and exclusive training that are only available to chamber members.

NETWORKING

We offer both in-person and digital networking to help businesses connect. Weekly lunches, after-hours networking and other events are designed to build meaningful relationships. Members can also network online through their Chambermaster portal.

GOVERNMENT ADVOCACY

The chamber works to defend businesses against burdensome regulations. Our staff and board works collaboratively with government leaders to find ways to support a thriving economic ecosystem that promotes free-market competition and innovation.

ELEVATE THE LOCAL ECONOMY

The Chamber represents interests of over 1,000 businesses and non-profit organizations that are directly impacted by the strength of the local economy. We work collaboratively with our local, state, and federal economic partners to grow the local economy, bring high-paying jobs, and increase prosperity to our community.

CHAMPION COMMUNITY PROSPERITY

The chamber believes that a strong economic engine is crucial to a prosperous community. This engine is driven by both small businesses and large corporations. Together, we identify issues that are barriers to economic opportunity and then develop strategies to move our community forward.