The temperatures outside were just above freezing, but the vibe in the Holliday Inn ballroom was tropical as the Estes Chamber celebrated its fifth annual gala Hawaiian style last week. Members donned leis, brightly colored muumuu, and Aloha shirts. A few brave people wore sandals or flip flops.
Paul Mueller, whose alma mater University of South Florida will play San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve, came dressed as a tourist in a USF shirt and a ball cap. He completed his outfit by hanging a camera around his neck. If there had been prizes for themed outfits, he might have taken first place.
The evening’s buffet dinner took a page out of a beachside luau and included a pineapple rice dish, Hawaiian pulled pork, kabobs with an Asian fusion marinade, and fish. The only thing missing was poi.
The Chamber recognized Carissa Streib, owner of Simply Christmas and the outgoing chair, and welcomed Keith Pearson as the organization’s 2025 chair. Pearson greeting the attendees with a prerecorded video as he was not able to be present because he was out of town attending a son’s graduation.
The Chamber also recognized several business leaders including Maureen McCann, owner of the Mad Moose and Carey Stevanus, owner of Cabintique for creating the Retail Rally Val shop local punch card program aimed at stimulating retail sales. They designed a punch card with 20 spaces and for every $15 a customer spent, their card was stamped. Once the card was full, a value of $300, the customer was eligible for a chance to win $1,000. Almost 120 cards were returned for a total of $37,500 spent with local businesses in addition to the economic impact of the cards that were stamped but not returned. McCann and Stevanus were honored with the Business of the Year award.
Val Thompson, owner of You Need Pie was selected by Streib with the Chair Award for her leadership and service to the Chamber.
Christina Kraft, Market President at the Bank of Colorado, received the Business Professional of the Year award for effective leadership, team development, strong business acumen and for being “incredibly generous with their time, sharing their knowledge with non-profits and the business community—with an ultimate goal of success.”
Rebecca Gelsinger, with Visit Estes Park, an ex officio member of the Estes Chamber, was recognized as the Chamber Hero of the Year for promoting the Chamber and Economic Development and Workforce Council, being “the first to volunteer, attending multiple meetings—from Alliance meetings, chamber events, event committees and more.”
The 2025 board members are Keith Pearson, Board Chair, Upslope Venture; Shannon Jones, Vice Chair, YMCA of the Rockies; Val Thompson, Secretary, You Need Pie Bakery and Diner; Teresa Mueller, Treasurer, Mueller Pye and Associates, CPA; Carissa Streib, Immediate Past Chair, Simply Christmas; Niki Gassman, Member at Large, Bank of Estes Park; Alex Shaugnessy, Member at Large, Avant Garde Aleworks; Derek Vinge, Member at Large, Edward Jones – Derek Vinge; Christina Kraft, Economic Development & Workforce Council Chair, Bank of Colorado; Kim Branum, Thin Space Wellness, dba Estes Park Medspa; Ingrid Bush, The Barrel, LLC; Krista Davis, The Holiday Inn Estes Park and Latitude 105; Breeyan Edwards, Breeyan Edwards, Broker/Owner First Colorado Realty; Victoria Endsley, Bear and Bee | Makers Studio and Boutique; Tripp Goodwin, Expedition Lodge Estes Park; Brian Hauser, The Bull Pin; Sandra Huerta, Twin Owls Steakhouse at the Taharaa; Thomas Pemberton, Estes Park Tour Guides; Mark Purdy, Edward Jones – Mark Purdy; Lars Sage, Art Center of Estes Park; Kent Smith, Signs and Wishes; Jason Damweber, Ex-Officio Member, Town of Estes Park; Rebecca D. Gelsinger, Ex-Officio Member, Estes Park Local Marketing District; and Cato Kraft, Ex-Officio Member, Estes Nonprofit Network.