The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) held its annual meeting and recognized members for contributions to the community on Oct. 24, simultaneously celebrating the 35th anniversary of the organization.\u00a0\u00a0 Members of the community were recognized for volunteerism, creative promotions of their businesses and best use of the storefront improvement program, among other recognitions. They were celebrated with noisemakers, kazzos, party hats and more.\u00a0 The festivities were highlighted with music and an Ocean Beach trivia quiz hosted by Sevy and Ryan from Glasz Productions, and three special Ocean Beach songs performed by Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters.\u00a0 The group began the awards portion of the program by reciting the OB Pledge of Allegiance with the signature two-fingered peace signs in the air.\u00a0 In honor of the organization\u2019s anniversary celebration, for the first time, a People\u2019s Choice winner was chosen in each category by members.\u00a0
\nAlso, the community got to vote for the Customer Service Business of the Year. In total, six award categories honored 22 organizations\/individuals for their outstanding efforts.\u00a0
\nEach year, exemplary merchants are recognized by various OBMA committees, including those of promotions, design, economic restructuring, crime prevention, organization and, this year, the Customer Service Business of the Year Award.\u00a0 Customer Service Business of the Year was open to the public through social media sites and the OBMA website and added a fun, interactive community element to the celebration. The People\u2019s Choice winner\u00a0 was chosen in each category by members.\u00a0 “It was great fun to celebrate OBMA\u2019s 35th birthday and to recognize the individuals and businesses who have helped make this community so special throughout that time,” said Denny Knox, executive director of OBMA.
\nThe awards were: Promotion Committee
\n\u2022 Wonderland Ocean Pub (Mina Desiderio) for promoting the best of the community through advertising campaigns.
\n\u2022 OB Woman\u2019s Club (Donna Bergeson) for the re-launch of the Ocean Beach Woman\u2019s Club (new logo, website, membership drive, community outreach, etc.)
\n\u2022\u00a0James Gang Printing (Leigh Ann and Paul Bearce, Jim and Elizabeth Berdeguez) for creation of Ocean Beach community-themed merchandise.
\n\u2022 Lighthouse Ice Cream (Carol Ladiges) for delicious approach to bringing news stories to her business and the community. Design Committee
\n\u2022 Wonderland Ocean Pub (Mina Desiderio) for unique design elements celebrating the community\u2019s rich history.
\n\u2022 Ashley Lewis and Jenn David for working to create colorful, meaningful graphic banners for the Ocean Beach entryway and Newport Avenue.
\n\u2022 Newport Avenue Antique Center (Craig Gerwig & Scott Allgaier) for utilizing the city\u2019s storefront improvement program to enhance the design of the storefront.
\n\u2022 Te Mana Caf\u00e9 (Marguerite & Jason Cruz) for their island-style renovation of indoor\/outdoor dining areas. Economic Restructuring Committee
\n\u2022 Ocean Beach Library (Matt Beatty) in celebration of its 80th anniversary.
\n\u2022 Lifeguard Statue at Veterans\u2019 Plaza and Byron Wear for honoring the lifeguards and enhancing the waterfront.
\n\u2022 The Ocean Beach Playhouse (Lynne & Paul Bolton) for bringing a community theater to Ocean Beach \u2014 a place where musicians, actors and performers, as well as residents and local business owners, can meet. Crime Prevention Committee
\n\u2022 San Diego Police Department Lt. Natalie Stone, Western Division, for outstanding dedication to the safety and well being of the community.
\n\u2022 Officer Efren Peregrina, Western Division; Officer Doug Campbell, Western Division; and Sgt. Jack Knish, Western Division,\u00a0for outstanding efforts to improve the quality of life in Ocean Beach. Organization Committee
\n\u2022 Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation (Tom Perrotti (president) and Stephen Grosch (project manager) for leadership efforts on behalf of the community to provide a project design for the new Veterans\u2019 Plaza area.
\n\u2022 Union Bank \u2014 Major sponsor of the OBMA annual awards celebration
\n\u2022 Point Loma Masonic Center \u2014 Community Partner Award Customer Service Business of the Year
\nThese awards go to the businesses that exemplify the spirit of Ocean Beach and reflect a positive awareness and activity in the community through exceptional customer service.
\n\u2022 First place: Catrina Russell, Coldwell Banker
\n\u2022 Second place: Beach Community Acupuncture (Nicole Murray, LAC)
\n\u2022 Third place: BO-beau\u2019s Kitchen + Bar (Luna)
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Assemblywoman Toni Atkins attended and recognized the OBMA for its continued efforts in the community and commendations for productivity in the community. “You are problem solvers. That\u2019s what you do,” Atkins said. “You look to make thing happen in this community and address issues, and that\u2019s what makes you so successful.”\u00a0 Many other local dignitaries provided proclamations at the event, celebrating the significance of the association\u2019s longevity in the community.\u00a0Among the proclamations were those extended by interim Mayor Todd Gloria and county Supervisor Ron Roberts.\u00a0state Sen. Marty Block and Atkins also recognized each of the award winners.\u00a0
\nFor more information on OBMA, visit www.oceanbeachsandiego.com.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) held its annual meeting and recognized members for contributions to the community on Oct. 24, simultaneously celebrating the 35th anniversary of the organization.\u00a0\u00a0 Members of the community were recognized for volunteerism, creative promotions of their businesses and best use of the storefront improvement program, among other recognitions. They were […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11561","_seopress_titles_title":"OB businesses, community members feted for neighborhood improvements","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11593,11561],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-299600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-no-images","category-peninsula-beacon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299600\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}