Sept. 25, 2007

Contact: Chris Nystrom, Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, (541) 242-2355
Jessica Corcoran, The Ulum Group, (541) 434-7027

Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce Names Emerald Award Winners

Eugene, Ore.--- The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce honored this year's Emerald Award winners on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the fourth annual awards ceremony. More than 400 local business and community leaders attended the event at the Hult Center. Selected from nearly 90 nominations, the following winners were announced in four categories:

• Emerald Award for Community caring sponsored by Smith Barney and KEZI-TV: PacificSource Health Plans for its commitment to enhancing the quality of life in the local communities it serves. Examples include commitments made through its foundation, promoting employee community involvement and support of United Way.
• Emerald Award for Environmental values sponsored by Weyerhaeuser: Cafe' Yumm! for incorporating sustainability and preservation into every aspect of its enterprise. The company uses a wide variety of recycled and Earth-friendly products in its construction and design, and common restaurant elements are created from recycled agricultural waste.
• Emerald Award for Growth sponsored by Bank of America and KMTR NewsSource 16: Bow-Tech Archery for adding 141 jobs from January 2005 to December 2006, offering excellent employee benefits and demonstrating revenue growth.
• Emerald Award for Innovation sponsored by Endeavor Law Group: Life Technologies, LLC, for developing assistive technology software to improve the lives of more than 13 million Americans with cognitive impairments. The company enhances independent living and improves quality of life for people throughout the world.
• Wildish Land Company was previously announced as the winner of the newly added Emerald Award category, Business of the Year, sponsored by Detlefsen Nel & Associates LLC. Wildish was selected for its strong community leadership and demonstrating a long-standing commitment to sustainable business practices.

The presenting sponsor of the 2007 Emerald Awards is Isler CPA.

The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce developed the Emerald Awards program to honor businesses in the Eugene and Springfield area that contribute to our community's vitality and quality of life by implementing sustainable business practices. Each award represents a core principle of sustainability and demonstrates the important connection between the success of local businesses and the quality of life in Eugene/Springfield.

As the area's leading business advocate, the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce works to create an environment in which business will thrive. The chamber works with partners in business, government and education to improve the quality of life for local residents. For more information, call (541) 484-1314 or visit www.eugenechamber.com.