Winners shine bright at Best of South County

Some of the South Bay’s best — businesses, organizations, government and civic leaders — gathered in celebration for The Star-News Best of South County 2015 Readers Poll. Held on Jan. 27 at Seven Mile Casino, the inaugural event brought the community together to recognize and honor this year’s winners.

With photo opportunities on the red carpet, swag bags sponsored by AT&T for all attendees, amazing food and tremendous networking, the event hit its goal of showcasing South County’s finest local contributors in a variety of areas.

“We’ve been doing the Best of South County Readers Poll for the last seven years,” said John Moreno, group publisher of The Star-News. “We decided this year to add an event once the winners had been determined. Tonight’s event brings us together to celebrate local businesses — the strength of our economy. Local elected officials, community and business leaders are here to meet our winners and celebrate in style.”

According to Moreno, Best of South County winners were determined by vote. Balloting took place over 12 weeks, from September through November, with The Star-News readers voting for their favorite businesses in the categories of environment, entertainment, shopping, food and health in National City, Chula Vista and Bonita.

Readers could vote online or mail in a ballot that was published in the community paper weekly throughout the voting period. The businesses receiving the most votes took home a gold or silver star award.

“This award comes from the community and that means a lot,” said Luanne Hulsizer, executive director of the Third Avenue Village Association. Her organization’s Lemon Festival, an annual celebration in downtown Chula Vista that harkens back to the city’s history as the largest lemon-producing center in the world, earned a gold star award. “We had a very successful community event this year. This honor is like the stamp of approval from the community.”
Tina Matthias of the Living Coast Discovery Center also mentioned the importance of the community recognition the Best of South County Readers Poll awards signify.

“It’s great that we won Best Family and Kids Attraction gold star award,” she said. “But it’s just as important that the community recognizes we are making a difference and having a positive impact on local school children. We thank the community for this award and look forward to continuing to work hard for the community.”

Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center took home the gold award for Best Hospital, an award the business has The Star-News earned in previous years. The highly-rated South Bay medical center continues to invest in the community with the introduction of cutting-edge technology, facility enhancements and the construction of a new hospital set to open in 2019.

“This award is really the best recognition we can receive as everything we do is for the betterment of the residents of this community,” said Laura Holloway, Sharp’s marketing and communication manager. “Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center is investing in the South Bay. Residents should not have to leave the area to receive great healthcare. This award means so much to us.”

Among the leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sector in attendance at the event were local community members Baltazar and Claudia Perez of Smart Mind Robotics. The South Bay residents’ organization offers robotics programs to children at 29 schools across San Diego County after getting their start at Liberty Elementary in EastLake.

“We came to this event to support these organizations that are so deserving of these awards,” Baltazar said.

“It is wonderful what these organizations are doing for the community. The meaningful work of a lot of businesses goes unrecognized — especially small businesses. This event gives them the recognition they need and deserve and serves as a way to say thank you to them for the impact they have on our community.”