BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Hundreds of business colleagues gathered at the Beckley Raleigh County Convention Center for the 101st Annual Dinner of the Chamber of Commerce.
President and CEO of the Beckley Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce Michelle Rotellini said, “Businesses and organizations work together and it is events like tonight where they can network and talk about ideas, innovative things for the community.”
Each year the Beckley Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce awards a business leader or organization who has impacted the community through excellence in business.
And this year, Tom Cochran, Director of the Raleigh County Memorial Airport won the 2022 Community Leadership Award.
Cochran said, “This is certainly beyond expectation in my life, this is certainly a treat that I did not have in my horizon.”
Governor Jim Justice made an appearance at the dinner to award Cochran for his excellence in the community.
During his speech, Cochran thanked the community for the support he has had along the way with the Raleigh County Memorial Airport.
“Tom’s whole heart, he has poured into the sustainability and quality of life here and keeping our talented youth here.” Rotellini said, “His work at the airport has just been tremendous.”
And with over 700 people in attendance for the event, President and CEO of the Beckley Raleigh County Chamber of Commerce said Beckley is on the rise.
“We are just continuing to grow. We are a vibrant economy, we now have a national park designation. So we are definitely on the upswing.”
