The North Fork Valley Chamber of Commerce is asking the public to choose the winners of its 2026 annual awards, and voting closes at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday, Oct. 23. You don't have to be a chamber member to vote.
There are seven categories this year: Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, New Business of the Year, the Agricultural Excellence Award, the Hospitality & Tourism Excellence Award, Community Leader of the Year and the North Fork Legacy Award, which honors a business, organization or individual with 20 or more years of service to the North Fork Valley. In the interest of full disclosure, KVNF is a chamber member, and KVNF Community Radio is one of seven nominees for the Legacy Award.
Kori Stanton, who handles marketing and communications for the chamber, said she wanted to expand the categories. "I think we used to have three or four categories, but this year I asked if we could do seven categories," she said. Nominations came in for all seven, and every nominee is a current chamber member, Stanton said in an email to KVNF.
"The nomination process was really exciting," Stanton said, "and it's almost brought me to tears several times how meaningful these nominations are."
One nomination for the Agricultural Excellence Award, which Stanton read for KVNF without the nominee's name, says the family "contributes so much to the culture of our valley" and was hit this year by "the spring frost, immense bear pressure, curly top virus, and more."
Voters get one ballot each, with one vote per category, and can skip any category. The ballot asks for a name, an email address and a residential ZIP code. "I think we are hoping that you are local or western Colorado," Stanton said.
Winners will be announced at the chamber's Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Qutori Wines in Paonia.
The chamber serves businesses in Hotchkiss, Crawford and Paonia. It's also a partner in the North Fork Valley Creative Coalition's Business Growth Collective, a six-month program for small businesses that KVNF reported on in September.
In a message she recorded for KVNF after the interview, Stanton said, "These awards give us a chance to slow down and celebrate the people who make this valley such an exceptional and welcoming place to live, work, and visit."
