Niagara Falls, NY – The Niagara USA Chamber is preparing to celebrate businesses and business people making a difference in the Niagara region. The Chamber Honors 2015 Gala will be held on Friday, February 27, 2015 at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel Event Center. Among the award winners, Yahoo! will be honored as Business of the Year, Faisal Merani as Business Person of the Year and Lockport Ice Rink & Sports Center, Inc. for its groundbreaking success.
Niagara USA President & CEO Deanna Alterio Brennen explains, “Every year I am fortunate to learn more about our members and their tremendous contributions to our community and their respective industries. The caliber of talent and dedication is something the entire membership is proud to showcase.”
Yahoo! has shown its dedication to the area through its expansion. Yahoo! employs over 200 people in Niagara County. The Lockport campus houses a Data Center, Customer Care Center of Excellence, the Global Operations Center, and the Global Service Desk. In October 2013, Yahoo! invested over $170M to expand and created over 100 new jobs across engineering, technology, and customer care fields.
Faisal Merani’s commitment to the area is a main reason why he is being recognized as Business Person of the Year. Merani Hotel Group made its mark by acquiring hotels on both sides of the border. Merani’s vision for the future of Niagara Falls includes renovations to the Holiday Inn Niagara Falls and a Doubletree by Hilton set to open in 2016.
Lockport Ice Rink & Sports Center, Inc. will be given the Groundbreaking Award. After 10 years of planning by dedicated community leaders, blight has been replaced with a 93,500 square foot, state-of-the-art ice arena and sports training facility. The arena is expected to attract over 150,000 individuals and create a demand for over 4,500 hotel rooms annually, leading to new businesses.
TREK will be honored with the Industry Insider Award. Their success led them to move headquarters and manufacturing operations to the refurbished Harrison site in Lockport in late 2013 increasing employment.
Molly Anderson will be recognized with the Father Joseph L. Levesque Award for Community Advocacy for her work on leadership development as Executive Director of Leadership Niagara.
Seneca Niagara Gaming Corporation will be given the National Grid Green Manufacturing Award for completing a multi-million dollar energy efficiency project that resulted in significant reductions in energy usage, while enhancing the guest’s experience.
The Aquarium of Niagara will also receive a special recognition celebrating their 50th anniversary.
The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception followed by a sit down dinner and award ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $120 per person for members and $135 per person for non-members. Reservations can be made by contacting Maria Cardamone at 285-9142 or mcardamone [at] niagarachamber [dot] org.