The voting process to select the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year and Office Professional awards kicked off Tuesday and will honor winners at a expo in April.

“This brings us back to what the chamber is all about,” said Emily Tucker, president of the Richmond County Chamber of Commerce said. “Commerce.”

In its seventh year, the chamber’s annual business expo will be held on April 21 at the Cole Auditorium.

The awards given at the expo are the Business of the Year award, which recognizes a business for continued excellence in the community and the Office Professional of the Year award. It is given to someone who, “doesn’t always get recognized for their work,” Tucker said.

Suzanne Timmons, a secretary with Dean, Williams and Dean’s law office, was honored last year.

“It was a great honor to receive the award,” Timmons said. “It was a total surprise.”

Tucker said the award is given to an individual in an office setting who can handle a variety of tasks, a heavy workload and knows how to set priorities.

“It’s someone who works well with co-workers and shows strong leadership abilities,” Tucker said. “They’re professional in what they do everyday.”

According to Tucker, the two awards are the only ones they give without any prior notice.

“It’s always a surprise to them,” Tucker said.

Robert Ingram, track operations manager with Rockingham Speedway, accepted the award last year on behalf of the speedway which won Business of the Year.

“I remember looking at the crowd and thinking this could be good or bad,” Ingram said about the shock of accepting the award.

Ingram said they are extremely pleased and thankful they were chosen and proud to be a part of the Richmond County community.

“It’s good being recognized for doing the right thing in the community,” Ingram said. “(This award) shows how (the chamber) is moving in the right way in Richmond County.”

The awards are voted upon by member of chamber, special events committee and past winners, according to Tucker.

“The chamber of commerce is going from one big event to another,” Tucker said. “We’re excited about it.”

Staff writer Bryan Stewart can be reached at 997-3111 ext. 15 or by e-mail at bstewart@yourdailyjournal.com.