We are proud to honor extraordinary member businesses, organizations, and individuals throughout the year, with the following recognitions:
Additionally, we have 9 ExtraORdinary Awards (also sponsored by Free Medical Clinic) that allow membership participation in the nomination and voting process. Nominations for these awards are accepted until late Summer, and then qualified and narrowed down to 3 finalists by our Board of Directors. The final voting round is open to members, and concludes just in time to announce the winners at our annual ExtraOrdinary Awards Gala in January! This special night is our premier event where hundreds of individuals from the business community dress up and come together to celebrate each other’s successes. It also gives us a chance to recognize the people and businesses, big and small, that make Oak Ridge such an extraordinary place!
Award nominees must be:
Award nominees may be either:
Award nominees may be asked to provide references and narratives to support the application process, if requested. Finalists will be required to submit a form.
New Rule: Previous award winners are not eligible for new awards, in any category, until 3-years after the last win. Please review the available lists of former winners before making your nomination.
This quarterly award recognizes a business which has significantly improved the appearance of its facility through renovation, landscaping, redecorating, etc.
Sponsored by Stephanie Hale-Smith - State Farm and Oak Ridge Pharmacy
This award acknowledges the person who exemplifies the values that distinguished Mr. Joyce during his lifetime of service to Oak Ridge, which are:
This award is named after the late Kerry Trammell who was an extraordinary volunteer who passed away suddenly in 2013. It recognizes an individual - of any age - who personifies the finest spirit of volunteerism by giving generously of themselves to improve the community's quality of life.
The “Ambassador of the Year” is an individual who demonstrates a noticeable commitment to the community through involvement with local organizations that elevate the overall quality of life in the Oak Ridge community. While doing this, they ALSO serve as an Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Ambassador to assist with member retention and recruitment efforts. This group of professionals serves the following ways:
50 or Fewer Employees
This award recognizes businesses that demonstrate overall stability, a positive public image, while setting an example of community service and enhancing the economic vitality of the community.
51 to 200 Employees
This award recognizes businesses that demonstrate overall stability, a positive public image, while setting an example of community service and enhancing the economic vitality of the community.
200 or More Employees
This award recognizes businesses that demonstrate overall stability, a positive public image, while setting an example of community service and enhancing the economic vitality of the community.
This award recognizes a business which operates in a sound manner and is also known for making a profound impact on the greater Oak Ridge community. The impact must be above-and-beyond the impacts achieved by others by:
The business should also have demonstrated a noteworthy innovation in the relevant year, such as development and implementation of a new product, service, process, or procedure, such as (but not limited to) a new approach to:
This award recognizes a business that classifies as a “not-for-profit” or "non-profit" organization. In the relevant year, the non-profit must have demonstrated resilience, creation, and delivery of impactful programs, with far-reaching impact to the clientele or community it serves.
This award recognizes a person who is demonstrating innovativeness, originality, and a risk-taking spirit in the development of processes, products, or technologies. This person should demonstrate a vision for the future with these criteria.
This award recognizes a group of promising youth who exemplify excellence in - one or more - of these dimensions: