Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce honors top volunteers for 2016

The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce today honored its top volunteers for 2016.

Andy Graffeo, a tax and financial advisor with Graffeo Financial Services and Reliance Financial Group, was named the chamber’s Member of the Year, while commercial real estate agent Ira Levine of Levine & Associates was chosen as the chamber’s 2016 Board Member of the Year.

Additionally, Lynn Ray, president of Business Telephones Inc., was honored as the chamber’s Ambassador of the Year.

All were presented their awards in front of about 190 people at the chamber’s monthly luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel.

Graffeo, the Member of the Year, has been involved as a chamber ambassador since joining the chamber and got involved with the chamber’s golf committee immediately, chamber Executive Director Bill Powell said. He heads up recruitment of golf tournament sponsors and raffle prizes, Powell said.

Levine, the Board Member of the Year, has been active in the chamber for more than 25 years and served on the board of directors for almost 10 years, Powell said. He attends 94 percent of the chamber’s networking events, such as luncheons, Coffee and Contacts get-togethers and Business After Hours gatherings, Powell said.

This is Ray’s second time in a row to win Ambassador of the Year for the Hoover chamber, and she has been Ambassador of the Year for the Greater Shelby Chamber of Commerce for three years in a row, Powell said. Ambassadors receive points for things such as attending chamber events, volunteering at events and recruiting new members, and she had more points than anyone, he said. She has been active in the chamber since 2007 and served on the ambassador committee since 2013.

2017 officers and board members

Also today, Hoover Council President Pro Tempore John Greene installed the chamber’s new officers and board members for 2017, including new chamber President Jerome Morgan Jr.

Other officers include: Joel Smith of Hendrick Hoover Auto Mall as first vice president; Terry Turner of the Gentle, Turner & Sexton law firm as second vice president; Joe Thomas of the Capstone Financial Group as chairman of the board of trustees; Chris Schmidt of Daniel Corp. as immediate past president; Kathleen Spencer of Spencer Consulting Group as secretary; Megan Randolph of Warren Averett CPAs and Advisors as treasurer; April DeLuca of the Magic City Law Firm as legal advisor; and Lori Schommer as the city of Hoover's liaison.

Continuing to serve on the board for the 2015-2017 term are Jason Cobb of America's First Federal Credit Union, Steve Preston of Brookwood Medical Center and Terry Shea of Wrapsody.

Continuing to serve on the board for the 2016-2018 term are Levine, Paul Dangel of the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel and Tynette Lynch of Aldridge Gardens.

Elected to serve on the board for the 2017-2019 term were Ray, Paul Huckeba of CB&S Bank and Jeff McDowell of McDowell Securities.