The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce (NKY Chamber) celebrated the work of four members/member organizations with the presentation of its Northern Kentucky Community Award (NKY Community Award).
Amazon, Kroger, Tom Prewitt, an attorney at Graydon, and Tammy Weidinger, CEO and President of Brighton Center, received NKY Community Awards in November and December. Sponsored by Central Bank, the awards are presented to exceptional individuals, businesses or organizations that have helped advance and/or promote the region. Nominations are open to the community and awards are presented throughout the year.
The awardees: Kroger, Amazon, Tom Prewitt, Tammy Weidenger
“The NKY Chamber is excited to celebrate and recognize these businesses and individuals for their long-standing commitment to improving our region,” said NKY Chamber CEO and President Brent Cooper. “We can’t thank them enough for their contributions, especially during a time that has been particularly challenging over the last several months. Our members continue to have a positive impact on our region and economy, and the NKY Community Awards are a great opportunity to thank those who are going above and beyond.”
Kroger’s honor comes after the grocer connected families in need to food banks in the Greater Cincinnati community during the pandemic. In Northern Kentucky in particular, Kroger partnered with the FUEL NKU student food pantry. The Kroger team continued to keep the pantry stocked this year and also provided turkeys for the students’ socially distanced Thanksgiving meal.
Celebrating its 15-year anniversary in Northern Kentucky, Amazon proved it is committed as much as any business to helping the region weather the COVID-19 virus. In addition to spending more than $4 billion on COVID-19-related initiatives across the country, Amazon partnered with Freestore Foodbank in Northern Kentucky to fight food insecurity in the region and expanded its pilot program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enable Kentucky customers to use SNAP benefits to purchase groceries online.
Prewitt’s honor is the latest for the community leader and accomplished attorney. He has served on numerous boards over the years, including the Northern Kentucky Innovation and Commercialization Center, UpTech and REDI Cincinnati. He currently serves as the Chair of the NKY Chamber Political Action Committee and previously has been recognized with the Chamber’s Leader of Distinction Award. He has long served on Graydon’s Executive Committee and is proud of the firm’s vision to make Graydon the region’s “most innovative, vibrant and inclusive law firm.”
Weidinger earned the Community Award following 39 years working with Brighton Center, including the last 10 as the President and CEO. Weidinger, who will retire on Feb. 1, 2021, has left her mark on the Northern Kentucky community by serving in leadership roles on community boards, committees and task forces, while also leading countless projects for the nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping families and individuals reach self-sufficiency. Some of the projects she has helped develop include the Brighton Recovery Center for Women, the Northern Kentucky Scholar House and the renovation of the Saratoga Place Apartments.
