Middlebury, Oxford Residents Honored by Waterbury Regional Chamber

Next Tuesday, September 30, the Waterbury Regional Chamber will host their 20th Annual Malcolm Baldrige Chamber Awards banquet at the Aqua Turf Club.

M. Catherine Smith of Middlebury, chairman of the board of the Mattatuck Museum for 12 notably accomplished years, vice president of the Elisha Leavenworth Foundation and president of the Fulton Park Conservancy in Waterbury, will receive the Chamber’s highly-prestigious 2014 Malcolm Baldrige Community Award.

Carl Rosa, president of Main Street Waterbury, will receive the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s 2014 Leadership Award, and Diane Ploch, administrator of the Waterbury Region Arts & Culture Collaborative (ACC), will receive the Chamber’s 2014 Volunteer of the Year Award.

Winners of the 2014 Malcolm Baldrige and Chamber Awards will receive their honors during the 20th Annual Malcolm Baldrige Chamber Awards banquet that will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 PM at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.

The annual event is co-chaired by Carmen Anthony Vacalebre, chairman of Carmen Anthony Restaurant Group, and Jaci Carroll, founder of Jaci Carroll Staffing Services Inc. In addition to the awards presentations, the evening will include a silent auction to raise funds for economic development efforts of the not-for-profit Waterbury Regional Chamber.

One of the largest chambers in Connecticut, the Waterbury Regional Chamber (www.waterburychamber.com) currently has 1,100 member businesses.

Lynn Ward, president and CEO stated, “We are delighted to be presenting the highly-prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Community Award to Cathy Smith in honor of her role as an area leader. This award is given annually in recognition of individuals whose commitment to the Waterbury community has been exemplified by their vision and leadership in the area of economic development and growth. Malcolm Baldrige believed in community, leadership and volunteerism. That is why we additionally present our Chamber’s prestigious leadership and volunteer awards to individuals we believe exemplify the globally-recognized and honored world-wide achievements of business and community leader, Malcolm Baldrige.”

A former resident of Woodbury, Malcolm Baldrige guided Waterbury’s Scovill Manufacturing Company for more than two decades. He was appointed President Ronald Regan’s Secretary of Commerce during which time he implemented new laws to help American businesses grow. Malcolm Baldrige’s accomplishments are chronicled worldwide in newspapers, magazines, documents and journals. His name is well-known throughout United States business arenas, and in Russia and China where he negotiated trade talks during his tenure in Regan’s cabinet. He is acknowledged for his legacy of success through quality. Nominees for the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Malcolm Baldrige Award are considered for their community leadership, role in supporting employment opportunities, for enhancing the overall economic growth and quality of life, and for playing a leading role in initiating new business or development.

2014 Malcolm Baldrige Community Award recipient, M. Catherine Smith of Middlebury, is a prominent member of the Waterbury community, and highly-respected for leading a successful $8M capital campaign for the Mattatuck Museum and a $2M campaign for the museum’s new history exhibit, and creation of a clean, safe and well-lit Park Place adjoining the museum and YMCA buildings and parking area that allows visitors a pleasant experience when visiting the Museum and surrounding institutions. Ms. Smith currently serves on the boards of the Leever Foundation, the Greenway Committee, Waterbury Public Art Committee, TIGER Grant Advisory Committee, Brass City Charter School Board, Waterbury Community Investment Initiative Board, COG Transportation Initiative, Gaffney Place Project, and the Rose Hill Project. She is known for her partnering in saving and restoring Waterbury’s historic City Hall; raising $100K and establishing the City Hall Conservancy Fund at the Connecticut Community Foundation (CCF) for gardens and public art; and for being instrumental in the success of numerous additional public campaigns throughout the Greater Waterbury region.

Recipient of the 2014 Waterbury Regional Chamber Leadership Award, Carl Rosa of Waterbury, CEO of Main Street Waterbury (MSW) which is celebrating its tenth successful year in 2014. Rosa is being recognized for his tireless leadership efforts within the Chamber. Currently he serves as chairman of the Leadership Greater Waterbury Steering Committee; treasurer of the Waterbury Region Arts & Culture Collaborative (ACC); a voting member of United Way Greater Waterbury; and the Chamber’s Public Policy Committee. In 2012, he was honored as the Leadership Greater Waterbury Alumnus of the Year. Currently, Rosa combines his Main Street efforts with the Young Professionals of Waterbury Region (YPOWR) by collaborating on key events that promote and educate Waterbury’s downtown to a growing generation. For ten straight years under his leadership, the MSW program received National Accreditation status by the National Main Street Center. In 2005, 40,000 “Waterbury Observer” readers voted Rosa “Waterbury Person of the Year”. In 2006, he was awarded the Connecticut Main Street Center’s Executive Director of the Year in recognition of his work as an outstanding professional in the field of downtown revitalization who has distinguished himself locally and regionally, representing exemplary efforts and demonstrated results. Also in 2006, he was named Waterbury Neighborhood Council’s “Person of the Year.”

The Waterbury Regional Chamber’s 2014 Volunteer Award winner, Diane Ploch of Oxford, administrator of the Waterbury Region Arts and Culture Collaborative (ACC) is being recognized for dedication and commitment to the Waterbury Regional Chamber through volunteerism and support. Ploch has been a member of the Chamber for 16 years and has generously volunteered her time and services to many Chamber activities and events including the Malcolm Baldrige Silent Auction Committee, Toastmasters, the Chamber’s annual membership campaign, the Naugatuck Chamber’s fundraising Duck Day, the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Ambassador Committee and Health Care Council, and for writing and producing the Health Care Council’s biannual “HealthMatters” distributed in the “Republican-American” supplement distributed to over 60,000 area residents. Ploch is also a board member of CT Arts Alliance, member of the Waterbury Public Art Advisory Committee, and a member of the NVCC Regional Advisory Council. Since 2007, she has worked tirelessly to fully advocate ACC’s mission to strengthen and support the arts in the region as a central component of furthering economic and cultural development and enhancing the quality of life for area residents. A professional writer, producer and communications specialist, Ploch has also been owner of Ploch Creative Communications in Oxford since 1990.

Webster Bank is the event’s platinum sponsor. Tickets are $150/person and reservations for advance seating arrangements can be made by visiting www.waterburychamber.com, calling the Waterbury Regional Chamber office at 203-757-0701 or emailing to info@waterburychamber.com.

Photo: Catherine Smith