Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce awards businesses, nonprofits, educators
The Kelso Longview Chamber of Commerce recognized its 2026 Pillars of Strength and Crystal Apple Award winners Wednesday at Lower Columbia College's Rose Center for the Arts.
Stay up to date on Lower Columbia news, wherever you go
Access the latest Lower Columbia news in The Daily News app that lets you select the topics that matter most to you.
The Pillars of Strength Award recognizes businesses and organizations that improve the quality of life in the area, while the Crystal Apple Award honors teachers and educational professionals.
To be eligible, an nominee must not have received an award within the previous five years.
Community members can nominate potential award recipients and vote on who receives the award, chamber CEO Bonnie Delaney wrote in an email. For the Crystal Apple Awards, school districts are weighted based on their size to make the voting process more equal, she said.
The chamber also recognized the recipients of its 2026 Kelso Longview Chamber Education Foundation Scholarship.
Pillars of Strength Awards
The chamber named Longview restaurant The Office 842 Small Business of the Year, and JH Kelly Large Business of the Year. The categories are divided based on whether businesses have more than 50 employees.
Cowlitz County Habitat for Humanity was named Small Nonprofit of the Year, a category that includes nonprofits with a budget of under $1 million. The Emergency Support Shelter was named Large Nonprofit of the Year.
The awards are based on a business or organization's involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, their involvement with other organizations, the excellence of their service or products and how their presence adds to the economic vitality of the area.
Emergency Support Shelter Executive Director Shira Lile said that local nonprofits succeed by supporting one another, so the award could be viewed as belonging to all of them.
"We're extremely honored that we were nominated in this category, because truly, we don't do this work alone," she said.
The Emergency Support Shelter, which is located in Longview, provides temporary shelter and advocacy services for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
The Pillars of Strength Awards also include three individual awards.
Anne Meete Smeenk of the Child and Adolescent Clinic of Longview won Business Individual of the Year. The award honors an employee at a Longview or Kelso business who exhibits initiative and creativity, promotes a positive attitude toward their job and is an active participant in service projects.
Scarlett Kelly, of Longview marketing firm Scarlett Marketing Co., won Rising Star of the Year. The award honors an employee at a Longview or Kelso business who "displays qualities that will eventually cast them into a leadership role" in both the community and the work environment.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Diane Craft, the incoming president of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Craft is an employee at Koelsch Senior Communities, which operates independent living, assisted living and memory care facilities in eight states, including Washington.
"Her leadership with Koelsch Communities and her continued investment in community partnerships, senior care, and local engagement have helped strengthen the fabric of our community for many years," Delaney wrote in a press release.
Crystal Apple Awards
Three employees at Three Rivers Christian School in Longview received Crystal Apple Awards. Superintendent Erin Hart was named K-12 District Leader of the Year. Oliver Black, a teacher in the middle and high school program, was named K-12 Educator of the Year. Carol Karns, an office manager and kitchen staff member at the middle and high school, was named K-12 Support Educator of the Year.
Black ran for Longview City Council in 2025, but lost to Chris Bryant by about 200 votes. He also ran for Congress in 2022 under the American Solidarity Party.
Lower Columbia College faculty member Terri Skeie was named Higher Education Faculty of the Year. Dan Ruiz, executive director of DEI, student programming and housing at LCC, was named Higher Education Support Staff of the Year.
Scholarship recipients
The chamber awarded its 2026 scholarship to Wahkiakum High School student Cameren Mendez, Castle Rock High School student Abigaile Moore, Woodland High School student Isaiah Mattison, Toutle Lake High School student Maddison Flohr and R.A. Long High School student Julia Barella.
The scholarship is available to fulltime high school students in Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties who demonstrate financial need. It provides a minimum of $1,000 per student.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.