Press

AAOA presented the Eastside Small Business of the Year Award at the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eastside Business Awards luncheon on May 25. The awards luncheon celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit and success of businesses that are committed to quality and community innovation. Pat Chestnut, president and CEO of AAOA, had the honor of unveiling the winner of the Small Business of the Year award, presented to Chuck Oxford, Owner of Lakeside Collision Center of Belleve. “We were thrilled for the opportunity to help honor a local business that has not only seen growth and success this past year, but strives for innovation and excellence in our community,” said Chestnut. Other businesses who were recognized in award categories included Concur, Apptio, Inc., Quadrant Homes, and the Bellevue Arts Museum.

Each year, AAOA will recognize an individual or company who is making a difference in Washington State. The AAOA Spirit of Business Award was initiated in honor of Pat Chestnut's father, to pay tribute to those who are fostering the success of small business at the local level, which is the driving force of job creation and the development of economically viable communities. AAOA values and recognizes those areas of focus in addition to education, health, community development, and business advocacy. AAOA will present the Spirit of Business Award annually to a business or individual in Washington State, announcing the recipient alongside one of its partnering Chambers or Associations.

As part of the AAOA mission, we are dedicated to giving back to the community and continually support chambers and associations across Washington State. In addition to our ongoing support of the WCCE, AAOA is proud to announce we are the presenting sponsor of the WCCE state-wide leadership conference for the fourth consecutive year. The theme of this year’s conference is “Lean in… to Recovery” and will focus on providing information and resources to help chambers emerge as leaders and innovators in a new economy.

AAOA is recognized by United Healthcare as one of its top performing agencies in 2011. As part of the United Advantage program, AAOA was awarded Platinum Status for its commitment to quality service and member retention, and is the first organization in the Northwest to be awarded Platinum Status by United Healthcare for three consecutive years. The United Advantage is an annual program that recognizes the success of insurance agencies nation-wide. Agencies were scored on a variety of metrics including client retention and overall performance based on business volume and net growth. The 2011 program ran from May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011.