The Beat is very thankful for the recognition as Small Business of the Year the Grant County Beat received last week at the Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce banquet. The Beat, an online only local news site, strives to keep the community apprised of what is going on where they live.

I was also thankful for the other awardees, who so well deserved their awards-Priscilla Lucero, who received the Citizen of the Year award for her word to better the four-county area; Randy Salars for being named the first Linda Kay Jones Humanitarian of the Year award winner, as the manager of The Gospel Mission; Ansel Walters, who does so much volunteering in the community for Fort Bayard and the Lion's Club that he received the Volunteer of the Year award; and David Crosley and Teresa Dahl-Bredine for their Business of the Year award for Little Toad Creek, which they began and have grown immensely in the past four years.

The Beat could not have garnered the award without the community. Those that I want to thank include:

€¢ My husband, who has always supported me in what I have done for the past 47 years of marriage;
€¢ My webmaster, Jocelyn Garner, who can fix anything that I panic about when something goes awry with the www.grantcountybeat.com website and continues to help with upgrades;
€¢ The freelancers who worked with me at the beginning and those continuing today during the 5-year lifetime of the Beat. I'm afraid I would forget someone, but I hope they know they are appreciated;
€¢ Columnists and content providers who send their work faithfully; and
€¢ Those in the community who send me news releases and provide tips and news for the Beat. The Beat would not be complete without them.

I particularly am thankful for the advertisers of the past, present and future, for they have kept the Beat going and will allow the Beat to grow, thrive and expand.