ARVADA, CO, January 9, 2024 – The Arvada Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2023 Business of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Non-Profit of the Year winners. Recipients of these awards will be honored at the Arvada Chamber of Commerce 99th Annual Dinner at Social Capitol Events on February 2.
The Business of the Year award recognizes a business that has established a reputation for providing a superior level of customer service while using ingenuity and innovation to overcome challenges. Not only does this business excel internally, but it continues to support the community by participating in local activities and partnering with non-profit organizations. The 2023 Business of the Year is Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center.
Founded in 1959, Echter’s is one of the largest retail plant nursery and garden centers in Colorado. The center offers over 2500 varieties of flowers each year in its 70,000 square foot display area. Echter’s has 35 employees year-round (90 during the spring season) and at least one plant doctor with a minimum of 10 years of garden center experience is on staff every day to answer customers’ questions.
Since 2011, Echter’s Nursery & Garden Center has also hosted an annual Girlfriend’s Night Out event to help empower teen moms on their path to self-sufficiency. Members of the community are invited to spend the evening shopping at their nursery and the proceeds of the sales benefit Hope House Colorado. They also host other events to benefit various local nonprofits throughout the year.
In the award’s third year, the Entrepreneur of the Year recognizes an individual or team’s commitment, investment, and innovation as a business owner in Arvada. The 2023 Entrepreneurs of the Year is Nick and Amie Costanzo.
Since 2009, Nick and Amie Costanzo have brought the community a place to gather, and provided jobs and yummy food to eat. In 2009, they opened their first Marco’s Pizza in Five Parks. From there they opened many Marcos Pizza locations in the surrounding community. For five years, the Costanzos had a vision of opening a business here in Arvada that would provide a fun space with delicious food. That vision became a reality in 2022 when they and three partners opened up Freedom Street Social.
The Non-Profit of the Year is recognized for its support of Arvada and its citizens through impactful programs, services and overall involvement within the community. Nominees are also evaluated on local partnerships and collaboration. Recipients of non-profit of the year receive a $500 award. The 2023 Non-Profit of the Year goes to both Foothills Regional Housing and CASA of Jefferson/Gilpin Counties for their innovative partnership in the opening of AVi Olde Town, a 100-unit affordable housing community serving low-income families, homeless veterans, and emancipated foster youth.
For decades, Foothills Regional Housing has provided affordable housing and housing stability services to low-income families across Arvada. It is no surprise that the housing crisis is worsening across the metro area, including Arvada. As an organization that has been fighting the crisis, Foothills was uniquely positioned to invest in the well-being of Arvada families by opening AVi at Olde Town in February 2023. This community features an innovative partnership between CASA of Jefferson/Gilpin Counties and Foothills. CASA has an on-site program manager who oversees the Youth Alliance program which pairs the foster youth with a one-on-one coach to support them in key areas of adulthood including education, finances, and employment. Foothills also has an on-site case manager who provides direct support to residents, hosts events, and connects them to needed outside resources such as SNAP or childcare. Since opening, AVi has housed over 100 families and provided them with the tools and support to pursue their individual goals.
These recipients will be honored with a video of their accomplishments at the Annual Dinner. Videos and more information about the wonderful work done by the recipients will be released after the event. For more information on the Annual Dinner, please visit arvadachamber.org/annualdinner call (303) 424-0313.
Media Contact:
Kami Welch President, Arvada Chamber of Commerce
303-424-0313
kami@arvadachamber.org
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