Champions of Commerce 2019 winners

The Puyallup/Sumner Chamber of Commerce honors excellence in the local business community at the annual Champions of Commerce Gala. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Champions of Commerce Gala became Celebrate Resilience. We held the Celebrate Resilience Awards in early 2021 to recognize local organizations and individuals that have made an impact in the face of the pandemic. Learn more >>>

WINNER: Fat Zach’s Pizza
Fat Zach’s started in 2018 with catering, festivals, and a mobile oven in a parking lot and has now become a destination lunch staple for the community. Now having servced over 20,000 pies, they have been instrumental in The Generous Corner project bringing a Portland-style food truck lot to downtown Puyallup, and just recently announced they will be opening a brick-and-mortar location in Sumner. If there is a name and company with a franchise option in its future, look no further than Fat Zach’s!

WINNER: Dillanos Coffee Roasters
Founded in 1992, family owned and operated from inception to the grand roasting facility that employs 89 people today, the mission at Dillanos is simple: Help people, Make Friends, Have Fun. With 11 core values that touch on the importance of collaboration, kindness, and mutual respect for coworkers and customers, it’s easy to see why Dillanos employees stay with the company for years. The company’s care and attention to their employees, the local community, and the global community that they reach is truly admirable and they are, without a doubt, our local company culture heroes.

WINNER: The Old Cannery
The largest and most successful privately-owned furniture stores on the West Coast, The Old Cannery is a regular Winner of Evening Magazine’s Best of Western Washington. Their name and their branding is everywhere – yet you rarely see ads for what they sell, rather, more of who they are and their love of the community. Their Bridge Lighting event that kicks off the holiday season is a great example of that. They are a wonderful corporate citizen that embodies what it means to be involved and invested in the community they call home and they message that very well.

WINNER: City of Sumner
The City of Sumner advocates for business on every level, and believes successful businesses make the City successful, too. The city understands that economic development happens on every level and in many areas from a nimble and responsive permit team, to efficient utility billing, public works and infrastructure projects, and even community policing. They all work together to make Sumner a great place to do business. Sumner strives to get to “yes” in every situation and look for innovative solutions to obstacles and problems. The City of Sumner has recently conducted a LEAN review and improvements to the permitting system, and is partnering with the Department of Commerce to make permitting for manufacturing uses easier to follow and understand through the Regulatory Roadmap initiative.

WINNER: Pierce College
At every turn, Pierce College identifies and lifts barriers that stand in students’ way. By enacting comprehensive reforms – and measuring impact every step of the way – Pierce College has improved student success at a remarkable rate. Awarded every two years, the Aspen Prize recognizes outstanding institutions selected from an original pool of more than 1,000 community colleges nationwide. This year, Pierce College was recognized as a Rising Star Award and named a top 5 community college in the nation for improved student retention and completion over time, a commitment to equitable outcomes for students, and a dedicated focus on helping them overcome obstacles. We are honored to recognize Pierce College for this National Accolades and celebrate this incredible accomplishment within our local community.

WINNER: Sumner Arts Commission
The Sumner Arts Commission is a great group of residents, artists, and volunteers whose mission is to contribute to the quality of life and environment through art experiences, programs, or visuals. The Arts Commission is instrumental in collaborating with the businesses and greater community to bring the Music and Movies Off Main series, Write in the Valley authors’ event, Pierce County READS, Nights on Ryan Night Market, and have commissioned and installed numerous art pieces within the City, and more. The Commission’s goals, values, and projects are a huge benefit to the city, downtown businesses and community.

WINNER: McKesson Pharmaceutical
Just this year, healthcare company McKesson opened a new pharmaceutical distribution center in Puyallup that will serve hospitals, health systems, community pharmacies, and national retail pharmacies across the state. Positioned on six acres, the 118,500-square-foot facility adds approximately 75 jobs to the area and features the latest in supply chain technology and automation. McKesson Corporation, currently ranked seventh on the Fortune 500, serves more than 50 percent of U.S. hospitals and 20 percent of physicians, with additional operations in over 16 countries. We are thrilled to welcome McKesson to the community.

WINNER: Farm 12
From the outside, Farm 12 is a restaurant, banquet event hall, farm and garden. But those who know the story behind Farm 12 know that it is truly a master of innovation. The story of Farm 12 is rooted in the nonprofit it was built to serve, Step By Step. Established by Krista Linden, Step By Step was founded to help at-risk and low-income women transitioning into motherhood. By opening Farm 12, the disadvantaged mothers enrolled in Step By Step will work at this center’s restaurant and bakery and help coordinate events at the facility. The center also will offer job-training courses to teach these women skills that will empower them for a lifetime and help to place the women in stable, growing professions. Krista Linden first established an incredible non-profit in Step By Step, she has expanded on its reach through the opening of Farm 12, and we have no doubt that her innovative vision will only continue to grow to impact the lives of thousands of women, children, and families in our community.

WINNER: Washington State Fair
Is it the Fair that’s iconic or Fisher scones and Krusty Pups? They all go hand in hand. Aside from the over one million visitors the Fair attracts, the organization boasts year-round events and is a key community partner and major economic driver. Their iconic footprint at the entrance of the city and neighboring City Hall makes them a visible icon as well!

WINNER: St. Francis House
Since 1974, St. Francis House has been a center of compassionate presence and service that offers hope and eases the hardships of those in need in East Pierce County. Their list of services includes a clothing bank, evening meal program, an emergency food pantry, Emergency Assistance and Homelessness Prevention Program, an ESL program, a Back-to-School, and a Christmas Program. Though they may be supplying clothes, food, and providing education, what St. Francis truly offers, and at the hearts of those who work every day to continue their services, is hope and love.

WINNER: CaskCades
Intended to be a place where family or friends can gather, CaskCades is committed to creating a warm and welcoming environment inviting to a crowd as diverse as their beer selection. With NW inspired décor the CaskCades taproom is the place to go for craft beer, arcade games, pinball, card and board games, and gourmet hot dogs. Open to the whole family, CaskCades hosts family fun Sundays where kids eat free, the option to purchase a local beer membership, and big screens in every direction to catch your favorite sports games. Created and built by longtime friends Andy and AJ, CaskCades has established itself as the communities Top Hops Hangout.

WINNER: Rivers Edge Cafe
Locally owned and operated, fresh made-to-order deli sandwiches and breakfast, Dillanos Coffee & craft beer on tap… this up and coming restaurant is the place to work, play and hang out. Its natural light, indoor décor and variation of seating, including an outdoor deck, make this a very comfortable office away from the office.

WINNER: Aveda Experience Center
The mission at Aveda is to care for the world we live in, from the products they make to the ways in which they give back to society. They strive to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world. Environmental leadership and responsibility is in Aveda’s DNA. From green formulations, sustainable packaging and ingredients to socially conscious customer-supplier partnerships and clean energy for manufacturing, Aveda integrates sustainability into all areas of its business. Aveda Experience Center at South Hill Mall is the company’s only independently owned store, and we are thrilled to recognize them as our Sustainability Steward.

WINNER: Patty Denny
Mayor Denny, as we fondly call her, added another job to her already very busy life as a business owner of Fix Auto, with multiple locations. Patty sat at the helm of the Chamber while it went through a transformative and challenging period in 2018. Aside from keeping the day-to-day operations on track, she, in true “Patty Denny form,” became a real cheerleader for the Chamber, invoking hope, positivity and a vision for its future. She conveyed this at every opportunity. She has also become somewhat of a Mrs. Claus, leaving little surprise gifts to uplift people in the community, and the generosity she demonstrates to her employees is remarkable. A true giver, not a taker, and steadfastly loyal to the Chamber and its members, we should all be very proud to call her our CHAMPION OF COMMERCE!

WINNER: Council Member Cynthia Jacobsen
Cyndy partners on many levels. Her cell phone is on and available, she religiously attends every Government Affairs Committee meeting (and claims them to be one of her favorite meetings in the month), and she regularly attends our Business Breakfasts and Lunch and Learns. We appreciate that she addresses concerns head on and will execute on her word. She consistently identifies where areas for improvement are needed within the City and we can rely on her to be open to discuss policy and if aligned on issues, we trust that Council Member Jacobsen will hammer on the point and do her best to passionately advocate for the policy. When we need a helping hand, she’s quick to volunteer – as many of you saw with her working at our Fourth of July event.

WINNER: Randy Skeen
Randy has an absolute heart of gold. He’s dependable and is always the first person to ask how he can help, and no matter what the task is, no matter how painstaking or large or heavy or dirty, Randy shows up. and even though he wears a blue vest to associate himself with our Chamber, I could easily be wearing a vest with his face on it because I am proud to be associated with him. A few major events that Randy was truly instrumental in their success this year include the entire 4th of July, from the car show to the fireworks he had a hand and a lot of time in their happening. The Moonshine and Mulligans Golf Tournament with his ever-loved lavatory chipping game. Our Washington State Fair Booth, in case you wondered how the boxes of magazines and pamphlets got unloaded, I’ll direct you to Randy. More than for just our major events, Randy is there for Wake Ups and Blue Reviews, and he even emails without us prompting for help to find out what he can do and it is an absolute honor to present him as our Ambassador of the Year.

WINNER: Deanna Largent
A grandmother leading her daughter and granddaughter in their three-generations-run Aveda Experience Center at South Hill Mall is a force to be reckoned with. Her grace, class, vision and determination has clearly been passed down to her family as they too are incredibly warm, bright and beautiful inside and out. When we look at our membership, there are many who promote the Chamber almost like a second job. As a previous business owner, I have to say, that’s exemplary as I know running your own business is all-consuming. That’s why we so appreciate the advocacy, promotion and volunteer hours Deanna provides us. Thank you for all that you do to be impactful to our Chamber Community!