Oxnard's Top Businesses, Organizations and Individuals Honored by the Chamber

Photo by Andrew Mori of Amori Photography: www.AmoriPhotography.com

On Thursday, April 25, the Oxnard Chamber hosted its annual Community & Business Awards at the Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge. Now in its 69th year, the Community & Business Awards honors outstanding individuals, businesses and organizations that make Oxnard a wonderful community to live, work and do business in.
 
"There are incredible people doing amazing things in Oxnard," says Chamber CEO Nancy Lindholm. "We're glad we could identify a few of them so we can honor their efforts."
 
Winners for 2019 are:

Nonprofit Organization of the Year – Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association
For more than 70 years, Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association has been a cornerstone in Ventura County and a leader in health care. Today, as Ventura County’s only nonprofit home health and medical hospice, Livingston provides affordable home health, palliative care, hospice, non-medical home care, and grief and bereavement services. In 2018 alone, they served more than 4500 people in our community. Director of Development Molly Corbett accepted the award.

Volunteer of the Year – Jeff McGreevy
Sergeant Jeff McGreevy with the Oxnard Police Department has volunteered countless hours to supporting, coordinating and leading events and initiatives to fundraise and raise awareness for many incredible causes. In 2018, he helped raise more than $23,000 for the Oxnard Police Explorers Foundation, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, American Cancer Society and more. Already in 2019, he promoted an Oxnard Police Department commemorative patch to support Autism Awareness Month, which raised more than $13,000. McGreevy accepted the award.

Innovative Business of the Year – CURE Pharmaceutical
At its research and production facility in Oxnard, CURE Pharmaceutical is manufacturing CUREfilm™, one of the most advanced oral thin film on the market today. It makes it easier for patients to take medication without having to swallow pills – something 40% of people struggle with – and creates an alternative to injections or liquid medication. CURE’s proprietary technology unleashes the full potential of drug treatments, resulting in medication that is easy to take, delivers fast results, is the precise dosage, and portable. Founder and Chief Accounting Officer Mark Udell accepted the award.

Small Business of the Year – JaniTek Cleaning Solutions
JaniTek Cleaning Solutions provides fast and affordable cleaning services for businesses. The company’s Central Coast office is located in Oxnard and serves Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. In August 2018, it became one of the few Green Certified Businesses in Ventura County for its commitment to sustainable business practices. Customer satisfaction is the company’s first priority, believing that serving customers with care, urgency, and diligence brings about the best service results. The company also takes care of its own -- rewarding, developing and retaining the best employees in order to better serve their customers. Operation Manager Celia Cortez accepted the award.

Large Business of the Year – Ventura County Credit Union
Today, as the largest and most convenient credit union in the region, Ventura County Credit Union serves more than 80,000 members in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. VCCU invests its profits back into the credit union to benefit members and the community, and supports a variety of nonprofits through its CommUNITY Giving Program, which encourages employees to volunteer by compensating up to 40 hours of community service. Some of the credit union’s community involvement includes FOOD Share’s CAN-tree event, partnering with the Oxnard Housing Authority, and supporting or sponsoring many organizations including the Rotary Club, Oxnard High School’s Career Fair, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Oxnard, and so much more. Chief Administrative Officer Linda Rossi accepted the award

Business Advocate of the Year – Mark Spellman
Mark Spellman takes pride in always putting his best foot forward, giving 110% towards helping others in the business community and the community at large. As a Director with the Oxnard Downtown Management District, he is helping revitalize the heart of Oxnard. Spellman was a vocal advocate in support of reliable and affordable energy supplies for Oxnard and testified numerous times at public hearings. He also followed through with correspondence and meetings with elected officials. Spellman is a Past President and 16-year member with the Rotary Club of Oxnard, sits on the Oxnard Union High School District Business Advisory Committee and recently joined the Boards of both the CA Strawberry Festival and Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties so he could expand his support of non-profit entities and interact with more business-like minded professionals that share the same vision of community for this great city. Spellman accepted the award.

Best Place to Work – PURETEC Industrial Water
In 2018, Puretec Industrial Water received certification as a Great Place to Work® after an independent survey showed that 95 percent of employees say they love working there. What do they love most? Among the top reasons are opportunities for advancement, work/life balance, and attention to employees’ health and well-being: 97% are proud to tell others they work there, 94% feel a sense of pride when they look at what the company accomplishes, and 95% say when you join the company, you are made to feel welcome. On top of offering a competitive benefits package, employees are given paid time off on their birthday and on their work anniversary, which they call “Family Day,” to encourage employees to spend it with their families. President Jed Harris accepted the award.
 
Oxnard Trophy – Oxnard Salsa Festival
Now in its 26th year, the Oxnard Salsa Festival is Southern California’s HOTTEST Summer festival. Attracting more than 35,000 attendees from around the world to Downtown Oxnard every year, the Oxnard Salsa Festival is a two-day celebration of everything salsa: food, music and dance. Presented by the Oxnard Downtowners, the Festival features live salsa bands, salsa dance lessons, a salsa recipe challenge, and a “Dancing With Our Community Stars” competition. It showcases more than 100 arts, craft and retail vendors from all over California, two international food courts, a kids' zone and more surprises every year. But more than being an amazing, fun weekend, in the last 10 years, the festival has raised more than half-a-million dollars for the local community by supporting and partnering with local nonprofits, including Boys & Girls Club of Oxnard & Port Hueneme, Rotary Club of Oxnard, Friends of Heritage Square, and more. Salsa Festival emcee Pablo F. Ortiz,  Festival Director Kellie Meehan, and President of the Downtown Oxnard Business Association Gary Blum accepted the award.

Distinguished Citizen of the Year – Bryan MacDonald
For 30 years, Bryan MacDonald served in the Oxnard Police Department before retiring with the rank of Assistant Police Chief. As an Oxnard City Council Member since November 2008, MacDonald serves or has served the community as a member of Oxnard’s Public Safety Committee, the Ventura County Transportation Commission, LOSSAN Regional Rail Service, the Gold Coast Transit District, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and more. He has a long history of community involvement, including past Chairperson of the American Cancer Society Gold Coast Community Council; Board member and past President for the Elite Theatre Company; and an active member of the Knights of Columbus Council 750. He also has taught criminology as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Ventura College for more than 35 years, and he’s currently an instructor and liaison to The Sheriff’s Academy. MacDonald has a lot of fun in the community as well. During the holidays, he and his wife of 35 years, Lorraine, spread Christmas cheer as Santa and Mrs. Claus for a number of local events and organizations, including the Santa-to-the-Sea Half-Marathon, Soroptimist International of Oxnard and the Port Hueneme Police Department. MacDonald accepted the award.

Award nominations are submitted by the public and reviewed by a selection committee, with the exception of the Oxnard Trophy, which is selected by the the Oxnard Chamber Board of Directors.