The Chamber of Commerce Rebecca McCourt– The Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce hosted its 77th Annual Installation and Community Awards Dinner on Friday, June 9th. The dinner took place at the Clarion Inn, 901 N. China Lake Blvd. New officers and directors were installed, while individuals and businesses were recognized for contributing to our community. The following is a list of Community Awards and their recipients:
Community Service Award – Ridgecrest Veterans Advisory Council; Nick and Carol Coy we recognized for their tireless efforts in supporting the Veterans of the community.
Entrepreneur Award – Aladdin Obeid for continuously investing in his business ideas and the ideas of others to meet the needs of the community.
Innovation Award — 760 Fitness for expanding beyond their successful existing business model to respond to the changing demands of the community.
Lifetime Achievement – Tex Hoppus for his various contributions throughout the community over the years
Beautification Award – Bernie’s Landscaping for efforts throughout the community. Bernie Mondragon has continually supported local businesses and community members by beautifying Ridgecrest.
Youth Award – Cub Scout Pack 341 for always doing their best and providing value to the youth in this community.
Business of the Year – Immanuel Christian Child Development Center for supporting the families of our community for 20 years and keeping their doors open to serve those who serve (and work) in the Ridgecrest area through the recent challenging times.
The Chamber also recognized six students awarded a $500 scholarship for college. The scholarship recipients included: Payton Balas, Jeric Quail, Alianna Pittman, Samantha Stephens, Arthur Brard, and Olivia Loya.
Our 2021/2022 Chair, Chris Hill (State Farm), who will remain a Director, passed the gavel to incoming Chair Kristina Cross (Grocery Outlet). Our 2023/2024 Directors include Debbie Benson (Maturango Museum), Janis Bottorff (SASS), Daryl Silberberg Jr., as Treasurer (IWV Insurance), Bernie Mondragon (Bernie’s Landscaping), Jeff Lenk (Cerro Coso Community College), Chip Holloway (Desert Empire Fairgrounds and Event Center), Nancy Pace (Bake My Day), and Nick Wakley (RAW Media Productions).
We Look forward to another good year partnering with our community.
(for questions, please get in touch with Rebecca McCourt at or 760-375-8331)
