The Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 2022 Annual Awards winners.  The Chamber’s awards program is designed to recognize the dedication, achievement, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by exceptional local businesses, nonprofits and individuals.

The nominations, which were submitted in December 2022, are judged by an independent judging panel of business leaders from around the nation. 

There was an incredible pool of nominees, but the 2022 winners stood out among their peers. The winners were announced at the Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration Thursday. The event included the Chamber's annual meeting, an oyster roast, and live music by Dan Riley Music. 

The night was made possible by our sponsors:

PRESENTING SPONSOR  

First National Bank of South Carolina

DESSERT SPONSOR

HDR Inc.

BEVERAGE SPONSOR 

Miler Properties, Inc.

LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR SPONSOR

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina 

TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR SPONSOR

Pinnacle Financial Partners

NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR SPONSOR

REV Federal Credit Union

PARTNER SPONSOR

South Carolina Federal Credit Union
State Farm Insurance - Tony Pope, Agent

Taylor Agency Insurance

The Bank of South Carolina

Large Business of the Year:

Robert Bosch LLC

Robert Bosch Charleston is a part of a global network with close to 400,000 associates who make products that are “Invented for Life". The Bosch Charleston plant has a long history in the Lowcountry. It was established in 1974 with a goal to provide a safe and inspiring environment for associates who create state of the art products In 2022, Bosch announced the launch of electric motor production at the Charleston Plant, making the Lowcountry the first US emobility manufacturing site. In addition to the production launched in 2022, the site is working toward additional production of electric motors. Both current and future electric motor production are creating new jobs in the area. “We are in the midst of major shifts in mobility, and the story of reinvention in Charleston is a model for how electrification production can evolve from within an existing facility. We are building on the long-standing expertise and commitment of the Charleston team with this new production,” according to the company’s spokesperson. As part of the site transformation, Bosch has provided reskilling and upskilling opportunities to associates to prepare for the production of electric motors. Over the past five years, Bosch contributed over one million USD to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and environmental organizations in the Lowcountry through the Bosch Community Fund. Additionally, Bosch Charleston works closely with its partners to support these initiatives through volunteerism.

Small Business of the Year:

Lutes Property Services

Lutes Property Services provides maintenance, construction, and renovation services to commercial & industrial facilities. For more than fifteen years Lutes Property Services has been serving South Carolina (Charleston, Columbia, & Beaufort/ Hilton Head) with dependable maintenance services, monthly preventive maintenance plans, and general construction for commercial buildings & industrial facilities. Seeing a need, they recently expanded into high-end residential services. The core values of the business are Service, Excellence, Gratitude, Responsiveness, Flexibility, and Radical Transparency. The company also prides itself on fiscal responsibility. During economic downturns, the company guaranteed salaries to team members.

“While we are dedicated to taking care of our clients’ buildings, we are just as vested in taking care of our clients as people, and our team members,” Brandon Lutes, owner, explained. “It’s also paramount to us that we understand what our team members need and give them the tools so they can do their job well. We’ve dedicated time to ensuring each of our team members is growing and thriving.”

Nonprofit of the Year:

Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy

This mission is to be a light in the depth of pain and a hope in the day to day with comprehensive chaplain care for first responders, individuals, and communities throughout the Tri-County. In the midst of crisis, they provide care and comfort, while offering psychological first aid and spiritual support that is respectful of every person’s religious or philosophical orientation. The Chaplaincy works in the midst of constantly changing crisis dynamics, from the suicide to the mass shooting, to caring for the first responder after a bad call. All of this necessitates exceptionally trained chaplains who have the ability and street experience to become the care that is meaningful to each different individual and scene. The Chaplaincy's model is quite unique; 90% of the organization is volunteer driven. The volunteer chaplains are trained and outfitted for this outreach.

Emerging Leader of the Year:

Aaron Schmitt, Civil Engineering Project Manager,

SeamonWhiteside & Associates

Aaron Schmitt excels at everything he does; has a great work ethic; and he’s professional, respectful, understanding, personable, and rises to every challenge. Aaron believes that you work hard for everything you earn, you own up to your mistakes and learn from them, and aim to be a good person. Those attributes are not easy to find in someone in their late 20's, according to his nominator.

He was the Project Manager for the 2022 Leadership Dorchester class project which was the Rev Pavilion at the Dorchester Heritage Center. He helped raise funds and oversaw the construction of the pavilion that will serve the Dorchester community.

Aaron is also an active member of Ashley Ridge Church and serves in their youth group.

Trailblazer of the Year:

Amanda Redick, Project Control Specialist

 HDR

Amanda has immersed herself in community involvement and leadership. Some of her rolls include: past president of the National Association for Women in Construction, NAWIC South Atlantic Region Operations Lead, a Director for the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce Board, and a member of both the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS), and Civil Engineering (CE) Club of Charleston. She serves as permanent proxy on the Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG), and on the Civil Engineering Advisory Council for Trident Technical College. Through work with the Summerville Chamber, she is invested in Dorchester Citizens for Responsible Growth, a grass roots group dedicated to ensuring sustainable infrastructure growth for the county. Her true commitment to personal and professional growth sets her apart and is inspiring, according to her nominator. Both personally and professionally, she is a person that never settles. In summary, she has grown comfortable in being uncomfortable. She has (sometimes painstakingly) put herself in leadership situations to pay it forward. She clawed herself up the ladder and having reached a modicum of success, turned around and offered a hand to help others up. She accepted the President role of NAWIC during a pandemic and led the group through challenging times to national industry success.

Volunteer of the Year:

Justin Lee,

Gilbert + Lee

Justin is an active part of the community, participating in Summerville Chamber, Leadership Dorchester, Summerville Rotary Club, and various volunteer organizations, as well as being a wonderful business partner and family man. He balances each of these important roles with pride and grace and is making an impact in each setting in which he serves.

Most recently, Justin volunteered as the General Contractor for the Leadership Dorchester Class of 2022's service project, the REV Pavilion, on the site of the future Dorchester Heritage Center. There were days when he was literally unloading truck loads of bricks by hand (by himself) to make sure the project got done right, according to his nominator.

Additionally, Justin is a part of a volunteer organization called The Beacons. Men that are a part of this program go into local area schools and create relationships with children they are paired with and become a "beacon" in their lives. These are children that may not have an active father figure in their lives, potentially none at all. Justin looks forward to each session in the schools and continues to make this a priority in his life.

Justin's involvement in the many professional organizations and personal obligations are a reflection of his heart for service. This creates a foundation of trust and confidence that is sometimes hard to achieve in the construction world. On a personal level you know you can rely on him and call upon him in a time of need and he will do whatever he can to help.

Berlin G Myers Lifetime Achievement Award:

Diane Frankenberger,

Owner of People, Places, and Quilts

Diane is someone who exemplifies all of the qualities and characteristics of servant leadership and discipleship. She is the very first one to recognize and give praise to any and all who are doing things for the good. She is a broker of relationships where there are win/win outcomes! Diane is courageous and will risk it all to do the right thing!

She loves Summerville so much and has always been at the forefront to give of her time and talents to make this community even better. She is the owner of People, Places and Quilts – which has been named one of the top ten quilt shops in North America. Diane is passionate and invested in making this the best place to live, work and play. As an example, she purchased an old run-down hardware store building in downtown Summerville, which was a catalyst for the revitalization of our beautiful downtown. Her vision and passion didn’t just stop there as she was one of the founding members of Summerville DREAM that was created to revitalize ALL of our downtown.

Diane is an ambassador for business downtown. She has been known to give a lost visitor a dollar to purchase a lemonade at Guerin’s so they can then see all of the other shops to patronize.

Diane has served on the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. She serves on the Board for the Dorchester Heritage Center. She had the vision and is a founding member of Summerville’s Public Works Art Center. Diane also serves on the Board of Directors for the Chamber.