Chamber honors business and achiever of the year

"Achiever of the Year" and "Business of the Year" for 2019 were chosen last week by members of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce. 

Kerry Higgins, who co-owns Coulee Hardware, was named achiever of the year. Coulee Wall Variety Store was picked for business of the year.

Coulee Wall Variety Store was named business of the year, an honor given to a business that "is active in the area, demonstrates growth, has innovative products or services for the community, provides excellent customer service, encourages professional development of staff, and volunteers in the community," chamber Executive Director Rachelle Haven said. 

Doug and Mary Lou Lockard own the store that opened in 2019. 

Mary Lou said that they won the award because their daughter, Launi Ritter, "worked her tail off" in setting up the store. 

She said they put the store in for the community, as well as the tourists, and that they are here for the long haul, having moved to the Coulee area after living in Sammamish for 33 years. 

"It's really touching," Mary Lou said. "People appreciate the store. Many will stop before they leave and say, 'Thank you for having the store open.' That makes all the hard work worth it." 

She added that the store has helped make it so people don't have to go out of town to do their shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. "We had everything in place to help people when this crisis occurred," she said.

As achiever of the year, Higgins was picked as someone who "has made important and significant contributions to the community, is positive/respectful/efficient in the community, is organized and manages changes well, and fosters collaborations with others," Haven said. 

"So well deserved," commented Peggy Nevsimal on the chamber's Facebook page. Until January, she worked as the chamber's executive director with Higgins, the organization's president. "Thanks for the COUNTLESS hours you have spent on Chamber events and business," she said. " A HUGE thank you from me, especially, as I know just how many hours you have given to the Chamber. It was a pleasure having you as my "boss" for eight fun-filled years!"

The winners received a plaque for being voted the honors for 2019, receiving the most out of 50 votes received from among 78 total chamber members.