Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce annual business awards

The Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce recognizes KSVY Sonoma as its 2022 Nonprofit of the Year, and Redwood Credit Union as Business of the Year.

“We’re very proud to recognize this year’s recipients,” said Mark Bodenhamer, CEO of the Sonoma Chamber. “Selecting just one business and one nonprofit is probably the most difficult thing our Board does throughout the year.  We received dozens of nominations and each of them would have been a deserving winner.  Narrowing those down is extremely hard, but we are very pleased to shine a light on the amazing community contributions of this year’s honorees.”

KSVY was chosen for its wide-ranging efforts to keep our community informed and connected and their dedication to all of the other nonprofit organizations in the Valley.  KSVY provides essential information to the residents and businesses of Sonoma through radio, TV and their streaming platforms.  They give local nonprofits an affordable and convenient way to communicate about fundraising, volunteer needs and mission driven efforts.  They also provide valuable coverage of community events ranging from City Council meetings to High School athletics.

Nonprofit of the Year is a relatively new award for the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce.  In 2020, it was impossible to select only one business considering how much each had been through in a year of lockdowns and other extreme limitations.  That year, the Chamber recognized the Rotary Clubs of Sonoma as its “Business of the Year,” due to programs like their food giveaways in partnership with local business and their emergency grant distribution that was done in partnership with the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund.

“We thought they were an appropriate choice in such an unusual year, but in doing so we realized that there really was no annual recognition for local nonprofits like there is with the Business of the Year Award,” said Bodenhamer.  “Considering how many amazing nonprofits we have in the Valley, we thought it was a great idea to continue recognizing one each year.”

The winner of this year’s Business of the Year Award is Redwood Credit Union.  Redwood Credit Union is a longtime supporter of many local charitable organizations and goes above and beyond to take care of their members.  In addition to the financial tools and resources they provide residents and businesses, RCU is also helping to create a brighter future through exciting programs like their Financial Literacy training which helps people understand money management, building credit, etc.  Their tireless dedication to serving the needs of the entire community is exactly what the “Business of the Year” Award was created to recognize.

Previous winners of the Awards were Delicious Dish, 2021 Business of the Year, and Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, 2021 Nonprofit of the Year. Each year, the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce requests nominations from the community for these Awards.  It is open to any business or nonprofit that operates in Sonoma Valley.