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Quarterly BUSINESS STAR AWARDS

 

SANTA BARBARA REGION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Presents Quarterly Business Star Awards

2011

 

 
 

Quarter Award Winners:

Businesswoman: Joanne Funari, President, Business First Bank. (Betty Hatch Award).

This award is made to a chamber businesswoman, who through her actions is a role model for the local community. Past winners have included: Renee Grubb, Karen Chackel, Julie McGovern and Vanessa Patterson.

Joanne Moved to Santa Barbara in 1991 when she joined City Commerce Bank. She is a founder and president of Business First Bank. She has more than 28 years of experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining Business First Bank, she served in executive positions at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and Bank of New York. Her education includes a graduate degree with honors and exceptional performance in Asset Liability Management and Finance from the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington and University of California, Los Angeles.

Ms. Funari has been dedicated to the Santa Barbara community for over 20 years and serves the community as a volunteer in numerous capacities including ‐ Board Member for the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College, President of the SB Citizen Advisory Council for Continuing Education for Santa Barbara City College, Steering Committee Co‐Chair of the South Coast Business & Technology Awards, Past President of the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce; Board Member and Secretary of the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce; Board Member of the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization, Board Member of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project; La Presidenta and Chief Executive Officer of Old Spanish Days‐Fiesta, and Board Member of the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation. Ms. Funari also serves on the Santa Barbara County Finance Corporation on behalf of the First District.

 

Businessman: Joe Howell, Partner, Howell, Moore and Gough LLP.

This award is made to a chamber businessman, who through his actions is a role model for the local community. Past winners have been: Ed Heron, John Indrieri, Michael Towbes and 50 others. Joe Howell has been a business and transactions lawyer in Santa Barbara since 1974. He began his career in 1973 as a Briefing Attorney (law clerk) at The Supreme Court of Texas, then moved to Santa Barbara in 1974 to join the firm of Schramm & Raddue. Joe practiced with that firm as a partner and as Managing Partner until forming Howell Moore & Gough LLP in 1996, where he continues to practice with his five partners. Joe and his wife Barbara have two children, son Ben who is a lawyer and daughter Sarah who is a teacher, both living in Los Angeles.

Joe takes great pride in his role, with Co‐Chairs Bill Cirone and Peter MacDougall, in the successful $4 Million endowment campaign for Computers for Families, as well as his ongoing service as a mentor to Jose, a high school junior whom Joe has mentored since 2006. Joe is an active Board member on the Santa Barbara County Board of Education, Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table and Santa Barbara Partners in Education, having served as President of each organization. Joe enjoys cycling and distance running and continues to compete in marathons and triathlons. In 2007, Joe was inducted into the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Hall of Fame as a Community Leader and was selected for the Santa Barbara News Press Lifetime Achievement Award.

Community Collaboration: Kathleen Baushke, Executive Director, Transition House.

This award is made to a chamber business making a significant contribution to the quality of life and economic vitality of the Region. Past winners have been: Montecito Bank and Trust, Venoco and 50 others.

In 2003, Kathleen Baushke, longtime volunteer, past board member, and the existing Assistant Director, became Executive Director of Transition House. She serves on the boards of Willbridge and Second Story. She has built Transition House into one of the finest non‐profits in Santa Barbara. Transition House’s history of community support continues with over 40 service or faith‐based organizations and 1,200 volunteers donating their time and talents each year. Area merchants help by donating time, materials, and contributions to the agency’s efforts. Many businesses also offer meaningful employment with benefits to residents of Transition House. Santa Barbara’s compassion, generosity and commitment to its neighbors will continue to support Transition House’s efforts in years to come.

Kathleen’s latest project, (“The Mom’s Project”), “will change the future for homeless and impoverished kids in our community,” Baushke say. The agency has worked for years to secure funding for the project, the bulk of which comes from federal low‐income housing tax credits, and competition is fierce, according to board president Craig Allen. In addition to getting families off the streets and giving them a chance to restart their lives, Allen said the project has big financial benefits, too. The project’s construction budget is $3 million and will take a year to build, supporting local workers. Funding from Santa Barbara’s Community Development Department and the city’s Housing Authority was also used. Other project partners include Montecito Bank & Trust, WNC & Associates Inc., Riverside Charitable Corp., Garden Court Inc., the Bower Foundation, Enterprise Community Partners, architects Christine Pierron and Mark Wienke, Frank Thompson Housing Consultants, Tracey Taylor, Keith Stanley, Horizon Development Consulting and Allen & Kimbell LLP.

 

Innovation:Dave Davis, CEO and Executive Director, Community Environmental Council.

This award is traditionally presented to an individual who has made a significant innovative contribution to positively impacting our world. Past winners include university chancellors, Nobel laureates, architects, researchers and inventors.

Dave Davis is the CEO/Executive Director and a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Environmental Council (CEC), 40 year old Santa Barbara‐based non‐profit focused on promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable transportation, and addressing the critical issues of peak oil and climate change. CEC’s goal is to reduce our community’s carbon footprint by ending the region’s dependency on fossil fuels in one generation!

Dave currently serves as Chair of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District Board of Directors, the provider of regional transit services to the Santa Barbara South Coast and a national leader in the electric bus technology. He currently or in the past has served on the board of directors of numerous other organizations, including the UCSB Economic Forecast Project, the Santa Barbara Economic Community Project, the Coastal Housing Coalition, and the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization.

Before coming to CEC, Dave served as the City of Santa Barbara's Community Development Director and City Planner for almost 25 years before retiring from public service. During his tenure there, he directed the City’s activities of: planning; redevelopment; building and safety; cultural arts funding and the community development block grant program.

Dave has received numerous awards for his work and community involvement, including nationalrecognition for planning innovation from the National League of Cities, social advocacy from the American Planning Association, and lifetime achievement from the American Institute of Architects. He has been named "Planner of the Year" by the Santa Barbara Citizen's Planning Association as well as "Citizen of the Year" by the Santa Barbara Downtown Organization. The Pacific Coast Business Times recently recognized Dave for distinction in the “Who’s Who in Clean Tech and Sustainability, 2010”.

Dave has demonstrated a commitment to making Santa Barbara a better place for all of us to live
and work.