Sacramento Chamber Annual Award Winners

Winnie Comstock-Carlson named Sacramentan of the Year

Sacramento, Calif. – Comstock’s Magazine founder and publisher, Winnie Comstock-Carlson has been named the Sacramentan of the Year by the Sacramento Metro Chamber. In 1989, Winnie saw the need for a publication responsive to the concerns of business, government and community leadership in the region.

Now in its 29th year, Comstock’s provides a forum for the exchange of ideas on economic, social, ethical, political, environmental, scientific, technological and quality-of-life-issues that impact the region’s business practices and prosperity. Since she arrived in Sacramento in 1962, Winnie has been a cheerleader for the Sacramento region, extremely active in nonprofits and charity service, and a trailblazer for women in business.

Winnie Comstock-Carlson will be honored Friday, January 26th at the Metro Chamber’s 123rd Annual Dinner & Business Awards at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento.

Hosted first in 1895, the Annual Dinner & Business Awards is the Metro Chamber’s longest running event. Since then, members and community leaders have come together annually to honor the outgoing chair of the board of directors and welcome the successor. This year, Trish Rodriguez of Kaiser Permanente will end her service as Board Chair for 2017 and pass the gavel to Chris Delfino of Delfino Madden O’Malley Coyle Koewler.

“Winnie is a longtime, staunch supporter of the Metro Chamber, our programs, and for the entire Capital Region,” said Peter Tateishi, President & CEO, Metro Chamber. “A classic example of an engaged member, Winnie has served four, three-year terms on the chamber board. She continues to work with the Chamber, and through her publication to improve and promote business in Sacramento and beyond. We are excited to honor Winnie for her dedication to business and Sacramento with this extremely well-deserved award.”

In addition to Sacramentan of the Year, Rick Niello of The Niello Company and Shannon Deary-Bell of the Nor-Cal Beverage Company will be recognized as the Businessman and Businesswoman of the Year.

Nearly a thousand members of the community are expected to attend as the Metro Chamber honors these three and the following outstanding leaders and businesses for their ongoing contributions to the region:

Centennial Business Hall of Fame:  F&M Bank
Business Hall of Fame: East Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries & Sacramento International Airport
Small Business of the Year: Digital Deployment & GNT Solutions
Al Geiger Memorial Award: Cassandra Jennings, Sacramento Urban League
Volunteer of the Year: Erica Taylor, Golden 1 Credit Union
Young Professional of the Year: Jennifer Ablog, Kaiser Permanente
Ambassador of the Year: Veronika Monell, JumpStart Now