McCarty Team, City Style and Greentopia Win Best of Berkley Awards
(Berkley Chamber of Commerce, Oct. 30, 2016)
Berkley, MI – Berkley, it’s the Best! It’s the time of year we celebrate the Best of Berkley. Upon reviewing many thoughtful submissions of deserving potential honorees, we are pleased to announce Business of the Year: The McCarty Team At Century 21 Town & Country and, Business Persons of the Year: Carrie Vestrand of City Style, and Katie Reiter of Our Greentopia. These awards are given based on their involvement in the community, and their efforts to grow the business district in Berkley.
The McCarty Team at Century 21 Town & Country of Huntington Woods, our Business of the Year, has been active with the Berkley Area Chamber of Commerce since joining in 2014. Dan & Patti have been supportive of many chamber programs from Irish Fest to Art Bash, and have even let the chamber use their car for the 4th of July Parade. In addition to chamber related activities, they are long-time supporters of area animal rescues, giving both time and resources. They have helped many dogs find a new home and host an annual fundraiser at their home in Huntington Woods. They even have containers at their home year round for neighbors to drop pet related items for rescues.
Carrie Vestrand of City Style in Berkley, has been named Business Person of the Year. Her passion for Berkley is obvious within moments of talking with her. She supports many school and community organizations through donations of gift certificates and auction items for their fund-raisers. She also donates to The Chamber golf outing and pub crawl annually. Carrie has run fundraisers through her store as well, donating to Humble Design and Safari Animal Rescue. She has been a board member with the Berkley Area Chamber for 6 years.
Katie Reiter of Our Greentopia in Berkley has also been named Business Person of the Year. Since their founding they have consistently given 10 percent of their sales one day a month to a charity ranging from Berkley High School PTSA to local environmental groups. She has supported local teams, girls scouts, and even local families dealing with medical emergencies. She is active with, and supports many chamber events as well.
The reason for this year’s Business person of the year award going to 2 people is that these women have collaborated on so many projects. The were both sponsors of the recent Robina Fall Fest, they both give to the schools and local organizations through gift certificates and auction items for fundraisers, and they both work tirelessly on their “Sip into” Ladies Night Out events, which bring over 1,000 women to over 20 stores and restaurants. Both are active with the Berkley Fairy Doors Scavenger Hunt.
Both Vestrand and Reiter hosted a fundraiser on Oct. 20th to benefit Scott Turner’s family after his traumatic brain injury forced his wife to take sabbatical to care for him, donating 20% of the profits to his family.
The Best of Berkley Awards were presented on Friday, Oct 28 at the State of the City Luncheon where the Downtown Development Authority, the Berkley Schools, the Berkley Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayors of Berkley and Huntington Woods gave their annual reports.
For more on the Berkley Chamber visit their website at www.berkleychamber.com.