The founder of a Manchester art gallery, a Gloucester lobster dealer who heads a well-known local blog, the owners of a longtime Rockport lobster company and eatery, and the proprietors of a popular Essex restaurant are being hailed next week as the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Persons of the Year.
The honors are being presented in conjunction with the chamber’s 35th annual Small Business Week, which annually recognizes business and business owners in each of Cape Ann’s communities.
This year’s winners are:
Michael Storella, a local artist and founder of the Central Street Gallery in Manchester.
Joey Ciaramitaro, longtime proprietor of Captain Joe and Sons Lobster Company in Gloucester and the creator and driving force behind the blog GoodMorningGloucester.
Karin and Ken Porter of Rockport, owners of Roy Moore Lobster Company and the Fish Shack Restaurant.
Vicky and Tim Kennefick, who own and operate the Windward Grille Restaurant in Essex..
Each of the award-winners will be honored by the chamber with a reception next week, beginning with an event saluting Storella planned for Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. at 7 Central in Manchester.
Receptions for Ciaramitaro, the Porters and the Kenneficks will follow in their home communities on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The celebratory week will close with the chamber’s annual Small Business Week Luncheon, set for Friday, June 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Castle Manor Inn on Gloucester’s Essex Avenue.
The guest speaker for that event will be Carolyn Kirk, the former Gloucester mayor who is now the state’s deputy secretary of Housing and Economic Development.
Tickets for the luncheon are priced at $30, and attendees must register to attend. Anyone wishing to register may do so by contracting the chamber at 978-283-1601, or by visiting capeannchamber.com. The individual receptions during the week are free.
Since 1981, the Cape Ann chamber has designated the first week of June as Cape Ann Small Business Week, with an eye toward celebrating the importance of small business to Gloucester and Cape Ann’s three towns, and saluting those entrepreneurs who have not only succeeded in business but served the community as well.