The Clinton Sampson Chamber of Commerce hosted their 76th Annual Banquet last night, March 30, at the Sampson County Expo Center. 

More than 35 businesses and their representatives from around the county came together to network, honor area businesses and share a meal.

Chamber Executive Director Matthew Stone began the night by highlighting the growth of the chamber in 2022 and now, with 26 new members joining the chamber last year, and 10 new members joining so far in 2023. 

“We had a great turnout. We're happy to recognize and give credit where credit's due for all of our leaders in the business community and the community in general,” said Stone. “We're thankful for our sponsors and our investors, and the folks that have invested in the chamber and the community.” 

The night began with an awards ceremony which honored nine area businesses and their work across nine categories. 

The winners are: 

Business Excellence Award: Clinton Medical Clinic 

New Business of the Year: Omnia Beauty Academy 

Community Impact Award: U- Care, Inc. 

Economic Impact Award: Downstream Logistics 

Non-Profit of the Year Award: YMCA of Sampson County 

Outstanding Support Staff: Kate Bullard of Temporary Connections 

Chamber Member of the Year: Adrian Mathews, Assistant Chief of the Clinton Police Department 

Business Leader of the Year: Houston Crumpler of  Crumpler Plastic Pipe, Inc.

More on these businesses and their achievements in the Clinton- Sampson community will be featured in the upcoming GFBJ Achievers and Accolades newsletter going out on April 5. 

Following the awards, Keynote Speaker and NC Secretary of Commerce Ronald Penny took to the stage to help celebrate the community and how far they’ve come and how much farther they have to grow. 

“It is our responsibility to build a community to build a place where our families can laugh, that the people can learn that the businesses can thrive and that our hopes can blossom. There's still a lot of work to be done here in Sampson County. You still face the challenges of globalized agribusiness trying to recover from the pandemic, trying to make sure you build out a strong infrastructure. But as I travel around the state, I have learned a few things that great communities only come after ordinary people facing the greatest challenges, overcome real differences to form and reinforce and do great things. This chain, this community, the businesses here must join together and work together to build a better community,” said Penny in his address to the crowd. 

The Chamber also had more to celebrate, with 24 High School Juniors set to graduate from the chamber’s Junior Leadership Program next week, and the Chamber’s Executive Academy for adults will be rolling out this fall. 

For more information on the Chamber and the info@clintonsampsonchamber.org.