The Plano Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the 2022 Best of Plano award recipients. The honorees will be celebrated at an awards celebration on Friday, November 11, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Courtyard Theatre, 1509 H Ave., Plano, Texas 75074.
“This year’s honorees personify community,” says Plano Chamber President & CEO Kelle Marsalis. “They instill leadership values, strategies, and create services to create positive change within Plano businesses, individuals, and community groups. After the challenges and heartbreak of the last many months, we are excited to gather and celebrate their accomplishments and we hope you will join us.”
The Plano Chamber will present its highest honor, Citizen of the Year, to David Downs whose service to the City includes multiple terms on City Council and leadership roles in dozens of organizations such as Medical City Plano Advisory Board, BSA District Chair, Collin College Education Foundation, Plano Youth Leadership Board, Planning & Zoning Commission and more. In addition to his service to the City of Plano, David is an award-winning photographer who is passionate about sharing what he has learned with others, whether they want to create art or simply take better images.
Also being recognized is Chris Downs, an attorney at Krupa Downs Law, PLLC, who will receive the ATHENA Leadership Award®, presented annually by the Plano Chamber to one of Plano’s most accomplished businesswomen. She has over 10 years of legal experience handling estate planning, probate & guardianship legal matters for clients in Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and throughout Collin, Dallas, and Denton counties. As part of giving back to the Texas community, Chris served on the board of This Side UP! Family Center, an organization providing parenting and family-based education, and City House, a homeless shelter for youth in the Plano and northern Texas. Her additional community contributions are numerous and include serving as a public affairs representative for the Junior League of Collin County. She is also a former Treasurer and Executive Vice President of the organization.
Felix Lozano, Chief Growth Officer at Whitley Penn, was selected as Business Executive of the Year. He has decades of audit experience with a focus on public and private clients in the manufacturing, wholesale, retail, employee benefit plans, and nonprofit industries. His specific audit experience focuses on forensic accounting, fraud auditing, and special services related to internal control assessments. In addition, he serves as the Partner in Charge of the Dallas office and as a member of the firm’s management committee. Felix is active in both the internal and external growth strategy of the firm.
The Plano Chamber will present the Innovator Award to Collin College. First presented in 2017, this award was created to celebrate innovation and inspire other business leaders to continue pursuing new and creative ideas. Collin College is a public community college district in Texas. Founded in 1985, the district has grown as the county has grown from around 5,000 students in 1986 to more than 58,000 credit and non-credit students.
The Plano Chamber is proud to award Toyota Motor North America with the Outstanding Corporate Citizen of the Year Award. Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) is the operating subsidiary that oversees all operations of the Toyota Motor Corporation in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Its operations include research and development, manufacturing, sales, marketing, after sales and corporate functions, which are controlled by TMNA but sometimes executed by other subsidiaries and holding companies. The company is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
In addition to their 30th anniversary, Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County will also celebrate their recognition as this year’s Community Partner of the Year. Each year, more than 4,500 children are reported as abused or neglected in Collin County. Through the services provided at the Center, these children can find safety, healing, and justice.
Children’s advocacy centers provide a safe, child-friendly environment where law enforcement, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), prosecution, medical and mental health professionals may share information and develop effective, coordinated strategies sensitive to the needs of each unique case and child. The CAC model operates by bringing services to the child instead of the child going from place to place to tell their stories and get help.
The Small Businessperson of the Year is Bob Kehr with Kehr Technologies. Bob Kehr is the owner/founder of Kehr Technologies, a Managed IT company. Started in 2003, Kehr Technologies is a complete technology solution provider. Bob has an extensive engineering background in hardware and software design. His experience includes 16 years selling telecom products and services to worldwide clients, and he lived in Stockholm, Sweden for more than a year. Bob Kehr is a graduate of Leadership Plano Class 36 and was selected by his classmates to serve on the Leadership Plano Advisory Board for three years, including a term as board chair and currently serves as an advisory to the Leadership Plano Advisory Board. Bob also shares his time and energy with a number of community organizations including CASA of Collin County, the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation, and the Plano Chamber of Commerce and the Plano Rotary Club where he serves as Chair-elect. Bob was selected as a 2020 honoree by Top Achievers Foundation.
Catherine Riggle with Children’s Health has been selected to receive the Rising Star Award, which recognizes a young professional (25-40 years old) whose professional success is matched by their commitment to serving the Plano community. Catherine is the Program Manager, Government & Community Relations at Children's Health. She has served in numerous volunteer roles with organizations like Junior League of Collin Country on the Public Affairs Task Force, City of Plano Census Committee, Young Professionals of Plano Committee, Plano ISD District Improvement Committee, and is a graduate of Plano Leadership and Ambassador Program Class 1 and currently in Leadership North Texas Class 14.
The Distinguished Leadership Award (DLA) is a recognition that provides an opportunity for local programs like Leadership Plano to recognize exceptional graduates who have made significant and notable contributions for the betterment of their community. Since his arrival in Plano in 2000, Craig Perry has demonstrated an unending commitment to the Plano and Collin County communities. From his selection by his Class 19 Leadership Plano classmates as a member of the Leadership Plano Executive Board in 2004, including serving as chair of the board, to his current role on the Hendrick Scholarship Foundation Board and the Collin County Appraisal Review Board, Craig has consistently made a positive impact and left an indelible mark in multiple sectors of the community. He has affected the city through his service on Plano's Planning & Zoning Commission and the Heritage Commission. Through the Hendrick Foundation, he has impacted Plano ISD by raising funds for scholarships for students who otherwise would not be able to attend college, many the first in their families to do so. He has impacted the business community by serving as chair of the Plano Chamber of Commerce Board and a member of the Collin County Association of Realtors Board. In addition, Craig has impacted the nonprofit sector by helping to coordinate fundraising events for numerous charitable and nonprofit organizations such as the Collin County Advocacy Center, City House, and the Plano Symphony Orchestra. For over 20 years, Craig Perry's civic accomplishments and contributions to our community have significantly contributed to the "City of Excellence." He exemplifies servant leadership.
Join us as we celebrate these outstanding leaders on Friday, November 11, 2022. Tickets and reserved tables are available at www.planochamber.org.
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