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West Valley City Journal

Game time: ChamberWest celebrates annual gala

Feb 28, 2017 09:11AM ● By Travis Barton

Senator Karen Mayne accepts her hall of fame award. (Travis Barton/City Journals)

By Travis Barton | [email protected]
 
ChamberWest Chamber of Commerce presented their annual awards gala, “A Sports Extravaganza,” on Friday, Feb. 3 at the Maverik Center. The sports themed evening featured games, entertainment, awards presentations and a hall of fame award for Senator Karen Mayne.
 
“I want everyone that’s affiliated with ChamberWest in this community to have a rip roaring good time. I want them to celebrate the successes of this community,” said Barbara Riddle, ChamberWest CEO.
 
The night was marked by a sports theme which saw invited attendees wearing sports attire of their favorite teams whether it was the Utah Grizzlies, Denver Broncos, Utah Utes or New England Patriots.
 
ChamberWest is made up of West Valley City, Kearns, Taylorsville and Millcreek. Riddle said the introduction of two new sports teams to their area—Salt Lake Stars basketball and arena football’s Screaming Eagles—inspired the sports idea.
 
“I want [the ChamberWest community] to celebrate the amazing sports activities that we have in our own backyard,” Riddle said. She added it is great for the family with the teams’ inexpensive ticket prices and the kids zone at Stars games.
 
“We have become the family friendly sports capital of Utah…We just turned it into a sports extravaganza,” Riddle said.
 
Screaming Eagles will play arena football games (first game was Feb. 16) at the Maverik Center. The fan-run team employs a new concept that has seen fans vote for the home city, name, coach and actual plays during games.  
 
Sandra Olmsted, committee chair for the annual gala, said with the teams so new (Stars began last fall) it served as an opportunity to recognize the growing sporting presence.
 
“Sports teams are really congregating near our area and you know what, let’s have fun with it,” Olmsted said.
 
Turf was laid out over the ice for the banquet that saw entertainment performed between each metaphorical quarter break whether it was the Skyline High School Drumline, mascots and cheerleaders, One Voice Children’s Choir or Granger High School Cheer Squad.
 
Awards were presented for Small Business of the Year, Business of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Chairperson of the Year and Best Place to Work Award; all presented by KSL sports reporter Rod Zundel.
 
“I want to recognize some awesome companies we have that are part of this community and make this community great,” Riddle said. Among the winners were Varex Imaging, Great Harvest Bread, volunteer Linda Milne, chairman Spencer Ferguson and InterContinental Hotels Group.
 
The night culminated in the 2016 hall of fame award given to Senator Karen Mayne and posthumously to her husband Ed.
 
Introduction for their award included a tribute video of congratulations from those in the political spectrum like Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams or Senator Wayne Niederhauser.
 
“I am embarrassed and I am honored,” Mayne said, “that you would care enough to care about the things that Ed and I have done.”
 
Mayne, a Granger High graduate, was appointed to her late husband’s senate seat in 2008 before being subsequently elected in 2010 and 2014. She currently serves as the Senate Majority Whip and on numerous committees and subcommittees that address labor and family issues.
 
Olmsted said she hoped the night would show the ChamberWest community “how much this area truly is growing and the large businesses in this area and how excited people are about what’s happening in the West Valley area.”