Thank you to everyone who attended the 2023 Grant County Community Awards Banquet held on December 14, 2023. This annual event focused on celebrating and awarding Grant County community members who have dedicated time, energy, and so much more to our community. We would also like to thank everyone who nominated an individual, organization, or business to be recognized for their hard work, dedication, and contribution to the Grant County community.

Thank you to Gaffney-Oglesby Detachment 1328 Marine Corps. League, for presenting the colors, and thank you to Kaili Martin for singing the National Anthem. We would also like to thank Q’s for catering drinks, and Savory Kitchen and Catering LLC for catering a delicious meal.

The 2023 Grant County Community Award Winners are:

• Citizen of the Year Award: Laura Phelps
• Employee of the Year Award: Belinda Castillo
• Small Business of the Year Award: Melinda’s Medical Supply • Business of the Year Award: County of Grant
• Volunteer of the Year Award: Vicki D. Galindo
• Linda K. Jones Humanitarian Award: Annette Toney
• Non-Profit of the Year Award: Center for Health Innovation
• Lifelong Service to the Community Award: Morris Chiropractic Center

Thank you to Dr. Joseph Shepard, President of Western New Mexico University (WNMU), for being our keynote speaker. The topic of Dr. Shepard’s talk was leadership and the importance of being a leader and taking initiative. His speech focused on the risks taken for growth and prosperity in business and the contributions for economic development in our community. Dr. Shepard spoke of what it takes to be a leader and the difficulties that come along with it. He also referred to the hard-working individuals that make a business or organization prosper, especially in a rural community like Grant County.

Dr. Shepard highlighted the collaboration between the community and WNMU for the future endeavors that will propel Grant County into a prosperous future. WNMU has also collaborated and partnered with different entities such as Freeport-McMoRan and the County of Grant on various topics of focus that include the creation of the CTE (Career Technical and Education) Center in Grant County which will create a sustainable workforce in Grant County.

Thank you again to everyone who attended and participated in the 2023 Grant County Community Awards banquet, and we hope to see you again next year!