Chamber Honors Local Businesses

By Tori La Rue | [email protected]

South Jordan - The South Jordan Chamber of Commerce honored four local businesses and two Bingham High School students at their annual chamber gala and awards banquet on Feb. 17. 

“The mission of the chamber is ‘to advocate for, educate and strengthen the business community of South Jordan,’” Holly Heffron, chair of the chamber, said. “So, in conjunction with that, we like to recognize outstanding businesses for their efforts in the community.”

At the banquet, known as the Vision Dinner, the chamber recognized Market Street Grill as the 2015 Community Hero, SnappConner PR as the 2015 Outstanding Chamber Partner, the City Journals as the 2015 Outstanding Small Business and Holmes Homes as the 2015 Outstanding Large Business. Each of these businesses was awarded a trophy. 

School counselors at Bingham High selected Stone Criddle and Shay-Leigh Hart for the chamber scholarships for being the most improved male and female student at Bingham High School over their high school years. Chamber representatives presented Stone and Shay-Leigh with $500 checks.

Market Street Grill won the Community Hero award over the two other nominees — Jeff Carr, chief of South Jordan Police, and the Jordan Education Foundation. Market Street helped the chamber collect more than $1,500 in donations for the second annual Christmas for Kids program, and the restaurant’s general manager, Chris Buhler, joined the chamber board in 2016, Heffron said.

“They were also our number one supporter at the Taste of South Jordan, and they won the Best Overall award at that event,” Heffron said. 

Last year was the first year of the chamber’s Taste of South Jordan event in September, where local restaurants set up sample stations at Heritage Park to offer residents a taste of some of the most popular items on their menus. Market Street plans to assist in the 2016 event as well. 

 “We try to participate as much as possible,” Nicho Almy, manager for the South Jordan Market Street Grill, said. “Here’s to a better and brighter 2016 partnership.” 

Almy said Market Street Grill has some upcoming service projects in the community that “are still in the works” and won’t be announced for a few more months.  

SnappConner PR’s press releases about the chamber resulted in increased attendance and revenues at chamber events, which is one reason they won the 2015 Outstanding Chamber Partner award, Heffron said. Their marketing led Taste of South Jordan to be highlighted on TV, and the firm’s vice president oversees the chamber’s marketing committee, she said. 

Barbara Breen, representing Rio Tinto Kennecott, and Jenkins- Soffe of Funeral Homes were the runners up for the partner award. 

While Culver’s and Sweet William Floral Design were nominated as the Chamber’s Outstanding Small Business, the chamber presented the award to the City Journals for the South Jordan Journal. 

“They support the community by not only publishing 11 community newspapers, but they send a weekly email with happenings all along the Wasatch Front,” Heffron said. “They support many community events as well as the South Jordan Chamber, and this year they have provided one of their staff members to be on our board.”

Holmes Homes secured the spot as the chamber’s Outstanding Large Business. Gordmans, Kisco-Sagewood Retirement Community and Legacy Retirement were the other nominees. 

“We love building in the city of South Jordan, and our business standard has been able to rise through our partnership with the city and the chamber. It’s made us a better builder,” Jason Nageli, vice president for sales and marketing, said.

When the housing market was in a downward spiral in 2008, all of Holmes Homes’ projects were in South Jordan, according to Nageli. Still more than half of the Holmes Homes’ business is in South Jordan, and they’ve created 1,500 homes in Daybreak alone, amounting to one-third of the homes within that community, he said. 

“It’s an honor get this recognition that we are doing things right in the right cities with the right people,” Nageli said. “With the help of South Jordan City and chamber, we’ll keep pushing the envelope for architecture for generations to come.”

The chamber’s next Vision Dinner will be in Feb. 2017.