A great celebration of the extraordinary talent and organizations who are LEADING CHANGE for our members, our communities and nation took place on June 6, 2013. 760 guests  welcomed the 2013-2014 MCCC Board of Directors and applauded four prestigious award winners.  

The evening concluded with a surprise passing of the torch from MCCC 2012-2013 Chairman of the Board Ori Reiss, President and CEO, GlobalNet Services, Inc. (GNSI) to Chair-Elect Christopher Carpenito, CPA, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, HESS Construction + Engineering Services.

LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR: CONGRESSMAN
CHRIS VAN HOLLEN
Sponsored by HUGHES An EchoStar Company
Recognizes a legislator who exemplifies the ideals of the Chamber – a passion for innovative ideas, a commitment to economic growth and prosperity, and a dedication to our community.

VISIONARY AWARD: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY MONTGOMERY COUNTY CAMPUS
Recognizes an individual or an organization for its innovation and tremendous contributions to the County and beyond.
Sponsored by Neurotrope BioScience, MEDIPOST America, Inc., TissueGene, Inc., Domaine HealthCare and TruBios

CHAIRMAN'S AWARD - ALEXANDRA "LEXY" B. KESSLER, ARONSON, LLC
Recognizes a member of the Board of Directors who advanced the Chairman’s goals.

PUBLIC SECTOR PARTNER - U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA) Washington Metropolitan Area District Office
Sponsored by Sandy Spring Bank
Recognizes an organization that works in partnership with the Chamber to propel our missions forward.

The MCCC 53rd Annual Dinner: Engage Here to connect Everywhere.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce hosted its 53^rd Annual Dinner on June 6, 2012 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and County Conference Center. 760 guests representing leaders in business and government, elected officials and media enjoyed an evening of networking and celebration.

Here are some highlights:

• 2011-2012 MCCC Chairman of the Board Thomas J. McElroy of Hughes Network Systems presented the Chairman’s Award to Gus B. Bauman of Beveridge and Diamond, P.C. stating, “As I served with Gus on the Chamber’s Executive Committee, I turned to him as a trusted voice on all-things public policy.” His final act as Chairman occurred during his installation of the 2012-2013 MCCC Officers and Board of Directors. WATCH THE VIDEO
   
• Senator Ben Cardin delivered a powerful speech about the importance of leadership in the business community and thanked the Chamber for its achievement in supporting veterans of the armed forces through the National Center for the Veteran Institute for Procurement.
   
• Congressman Chris Van Hollen thanked the MCCC Board of Directors and commended the award winners – the United States Department of Health and Human Services and Cliff Kendall – for their positive impact in Montgomery County, the economic engine of Maryland.
   
• The Public Sector Chamber Partner of the Year Award was received by Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology ONC on behalf of The United States Department of Health and Human Services. Gail Bassin, co-CEO of JBS International presented the award stating “in Montgomery County alone, HHS employs more than 50,000 staff and is supported by a robust large and small business contractor community. Without a doubt, HHS shapes our local and regional economic landscape.” WATCH THE VIDEO
   
• Clifford "Cliff" Kendall, Chairman, VSE Corporation received the Visionary Award. This award was sponsored by the University System of Maryland Foundation/University of Maryland College Park Foundation/The Universities as Shady Grove. Representing the award sponsors, Bob Bedingfield, Partner, Ernst and Young stated, “It is my great honor to present the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Visionary Award to Cliff Kendall for his leadership, Innovation and tremendous contribution to the County and beyond. I know of no one more deserving. WATCH THE VIDEO
   
• The newly elected 2012-2013 MCCC Chairman of the Board, Ori Reiss, President and CEO of GlobalNet Services, Inc. (GNSI) announced a global initiative stating, "We want to bring the world of business to the Montgomery County Chamber by engaging experts in the U.S. and foreign markets to guide our members in the global marketplace." Read more WATCH THE VIDEO

The evening concluded with an amazing laser show (produced by Baltimore-based Image Engineering) followed by a dramatic passing of the torch by  MCCC 2011-2012 Chairman of the Board Tom McElroy to the MCCC 2012-2013 Chair Ori Reiss.