Congratulations to the 2022 Most Useful Citizen Award recipient Jonathan Foret!
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Congratulations to MacDonell United Methodist Children Services the 2022 Non-Profit of the Year!
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The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday announced the 2022 Large and Small Businesses of the Year at the 93rd Annual Chamber Banquet.
The Small Business of the Year was awarded to Downtown Jeaux and owner Tommy Guarisco.
The following was shared at the banquet about the award:
The Small Business of the Year award is given to a business that has excelled in community involvement, chamber involvement and economic value to the community. The 2022 recipient has been a chamber member for over 5 years and has participated in numerous chamber events. Our recipient left the oil and gas industry and decided to open a café to serve downtown Houma. In 2016, he opened his business in historic dentist office being the only cook for a year until hiring more workers. He saw the potential in the historical significance of the building and was excited to continue keeping the history going. Not just a coffee shop, our recipient expanded his menu offering customers a wide range of breakfast and lunch options. Along with adding to the menu, he expanded his café to offer outside sitting area, a meeting room, private restrooms and options for other businesses to lease office space above the café. Our recipient is such a visionary that he opened a second location in the Gray area. He continues to be optimistic and stays positive that things will get better for downtown Houma in the upcoming years. He serves on Terrebonne Academic Excellence Foundation Board and always cooking or donating his time to so many fundraising events.
The 2022 Small Business of the Year recipient goes to Downtown Jeaux Coffee Café, Tommy Guarisco.
The Large Business of the Year was awarded to Terrebonne General Health System.
“We are humbled and honored to be chosen as the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce Large Business of the Year,” said Phyllis Peoples, President, and CEO. “For nearly 70 years, we have been providing the highest quality healthcare for our community, and it’s because of the dedication and commitment of our amazing physicians and staff to making a difference each day. “Being recognized by our peers and the people we serve in our community makes the award all the more special,” she added.
The following was shared at the banquet about the award:
The large business of the year award is given to a business that has more than 25 full-time employees and recognizes their community involvement, chamber involvement, and economic value to the community.
The 2022 large business award recipient of the year has been a chamber member for over 38 years and has supported the Chamber through sponsorships and volunteerism by serving on the Chamber’s Board of Directors and several committees. They employ over 1,500 employees from Terrebonne Parish and surrounding area.
In 2022, our recipient has sponsored over $1.5 million to local nonprofits, schools, sport facilities, playgrounds, and community organizations with a shared interest in improving our community. In addition to sponsorships, this recipient and its employees donate countless hours of their time through many sponsored community-based programs. This recipient’s employees worked with over 20 organizations to improve youth, education, healthy living, parish beautification, organ donation, domestic violence, coastal preservation and combatting cancer. Some of their community-based initiatives for 2022:
- They conducted 828 free cancer screenings on 519 residents in which here were five cancer diagnoses.
- Partnering with Terrebonne Parish Council on Aging to offer a free program called Well & Wise to encourage seniors who are 60 and older to be active, social and advocates for their health; to date over 400 seniors have graduated from the program.
- Through the Sudden Impact program, they have educated over 4,913 high school and college students, increasing their awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.
- Through their Community Sports Institute, they invest $1 million annually to provide full time athletic trainers to all seven Terrebonne Parish High Schools, providing over 1,200 concussions tests to student-athletes annually in Terrebonne parish, and hosting over 10 CPR and AED training classes for 300 plus coaches and educators annually at no cost.
- In partnership with local physicians, they provided over 650 free physicals to all high and middle school student-athletes each year.
They continue their efforts to serve their community with Market at the Marina attracting over 750 people each month, and investing in allied health programs at Nicholls State University, Fletcher Technical Community College and local public and private high schools to ensure the future of healthcare and to solidify workforce development in our community.
The 2022 recipient has been honored with many prestigious awards and accolades for quality, safety and patient experience on the state, national, and international levels. Here are some of awards they were recognized for in 2022:
- Women’s Choice Award for Outpatient Experience
- Most Wired by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Digital Health
- Restorix Health’s Patient Satisfaction Award for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Patient Satisfaction
- Birth Ready Designation Award
- Louisiana Community and Technical College System Foundation Impact Award
- Bayou’s Best of the Best for Best Emergency Room, Best Pediatric Clinic and Maternity Facility
- LOPA Platinum Hospital Partner
The 2022 recipient takes pride in being the largest community-based health system for nearly 70 years in southeast Louisiana. They believe in service excellence, being a good community partner, engaging patients, and providing innovative healthcare as well as wellness solutions for all.
The 2022 Large Business of the Year Award recipient goes to Terrebonne General Health System.
