The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce Community & Business award recipients have been selected. The selection committee met on May 12 to review all nominations and after mulling over all of them, the decision was made.

Without setting precedence for future mayors, Dr. Tom Holden was selected as the 2009 Distinguished Citizen of the Year. The recognition is being given to the man, not the Mayor, for his countless commitments to the Oxnard community. Currently, Holden serves on the St. John’s and Pleasant Valley Regional Hospitals Board of Directors. His past volunteer acts include past President of the Boys and Girls Club of Oxnard and Port Hueneme and the St. John’s Humanitarians. His service to the City of Oxnard has expanded over a 15 year span. It is for his dedication and service to the Oxnard Community that Dr. Tom Holden has been selected as this year’s Distinguished Citizen.

One of Oxnard ’s finest, Senior Police Officer, Steven Ramirez II has been awarded with the 2009 Man of the Year title. Although, Ramirez has spent the past six years as Senior Police Officer, he has also dedicated a number of hours to other community projects. Most prominently, he has served as a committee member for the City of Oxnard ’s Multi-Cultural Festival. In addition to enhancing knowledge of cultures and ethnic backgrounds, Ramirez volunteered as facilitator of the Oxnard College Youth Leadership Conference. The conference is designed to show high school students the importance of education in today’s work force and career choices. For the past four years, Steven has been granting a “Ramirez Family Memorial Scholarship” to graduating high school seniors and deserving adults who are continuing their education. The scholarship is paid for by Steven Ramirez and is offered through the National Latino Peace Officers’ Association – Ventura County Chapter.

            Joining Holden and Ramirez is Penny Boehm as Woman of the Year. Her care for community has been demonstrated on multiple fronts including her work with the Friends of the Channel Islands Harbor , the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau and the defeat of Measure V. Penny has led the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau in destination development and the citywide branding effort. This initiative brings together the disparate entities that make up Oxnard and has tremendous potential for increasing revenue for the tourism industry and the City. She also led efforts to secure funding for the defeat on Measure V campaign. It is for this great dedication and selfless effort that Penny Boehm has been awarded with this year’s title of Woman of the Year.

            A congratulations also needs to go out to the other award recipients. Walmart was awarded for Large Business of the Year. Walmart has been in Oxnard for 15 years and continues to add to the community. With the completion of the SuperCenter, Walmart will add 150 more employees to its Oxnard location. This will provide more jobs for Oxnard residents and help improve Oxnard ’s economy.     

            As Small Business of the Year, Visual Concepts, LLC is the only business of its kind in Ventura County . In fact, Assemblyman Pedro Nava recently awarded Visual Concepts as Small Business of the Year in District 35 - quite a feat to beat out every one in an entire district. Due to the company’s unique niche and solid customers, Visual Concepts looks forward to adding 10-15 more employees to their staff this year. The EDC-VC has also recognized Visual Concepts as a business to promote within the community by awarding them with a record $250,000 loan. This goes with the old adage of investing were there is value.

            Of course, what is Downtown Business of the Year without a business that truly understands the importance of supporting downtown Oxnard . BG’s Café understands that the downtown district needs supporters just like any other endeavor in Oxnard . Serving on the Board of the Downtown Management District, the Salsa Festival Committee and sponsoring countless downtown events, the owners of BG’s Café, Veronica and Jose Rodriguez are huge supporters of all downtown events and businesses.

            One of the newer awards for Innovative Business of the Year goes to V3 Corporation. Formerly Ventura Printing, V3 has been in Oxnard since 1946. What makes V3 innovative is that the employees own 55% of the company, giving the employees a vested interest in how the company performs. Inc. Magazine recently named V3 Corporation one of the fastest growing 5,000 private companies in 2008.

            Last but not least, the Service Organization of the Year award goes to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme . Through their countless programs, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme has served a number of children throughout Oxnard . What makes the Boys & Girls Clubs different is that they don’t provide programs on just one aspect of a child’s life. They have programs for the arts, sports and academics to name a few.

            The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce and its members recognize excellence and this year’s awardees possess nothing short of excellence. Make sure to mark your calendars for this year’s Community & Business Awards, presented on Friday, June 19 at the Residence Inn.  Register Now! with a credit card or call the Chamber office at 805-983-6118.