Originally posted by Boone Chamber on August 11, 2026.
Spirit of Boone is the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Gathering, holding it’s 77th event on Thursday, September 24. The evening includes a special tribute to the 2026 Community Award Recipients. These leaders have played a significant role in supporting the prosperity of our community and will be recognized and celebrated as honored guests.
Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development: STICK BOY BREAD COMPANY/HATCHET COFFEE
Kathy Crutchfield Citizen of the Year: DAVE BREWER
Sue Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism: NC GOVERNOR STEIN & FIRST LADY ANNA STEIN
Ben Suttle Special Services Award: JUDITH PHOENIX
Baker/Jones Woman of the Year: MISSY HARRILL
Wade Brown Award for Community Involvement: ASHEMONT TITLE
Dan Meyer Partnership Award: HOWARD KNOB
Destination By Design, STITCH Design Shop, Watauga County, Explore Boone
everGREEN Award For Sustainability: DR. LYNN GIBBARD
Elizabeth Young Award for Community Leadership: TASHA ROUNTREE
“The Spirit of Boone celebrates the very best of our community, and the inspirational impact of this year’s award winners has lifted up so many individuals and businesses across the High Country region,” said David Jackson, President/CEO of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. “The common thread between our nine honorees is a deep connection to this special place. They wake up each day with the idea of making Watauga County, the High Country, and Western North Carolina stronger than we were the day before. We see that through their leadership, mentoring, creation of innovative programs, and powerful storytelling. These honorees take the responsibilities of leadership and community betterment seriously, and we can’t think of a better way to honor the group by helping connect their achievements in a way that inspires others to follow a similar path.”
Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development
STICK BOY BREAD COMPANY/HATCHET COFFEE
Represented by Carson and Mindy Coatney, Founders/Co-Owners
The Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development recognizes those who have worked for the orderly growth and development of Watauga County. Adams served as a local banker and prominent community organizer and provided influence in the Chamber’s formative years. Sponsored annually by Foscoe Companies.
Twenty-five years ago, Stick Boy Bread Company was 1,000 square feet of used equipment and two people. When the laundromat next door closed they took the space and added a coffee shop, and when customers asked for sandwiches, seating, and parking they opened Stick Boy Kitchen. Hatchet Coffee, which began as a Stick Boy program before spinning off on its own, came back into the fold three years ago. To
day, the company has about 170 employees and three locations. Founders and owners Carson and Mindy Coatney are also partners in Booneshine Brewing Company and Melanie’s Food Fantasy in downtown Boone.
Stick Boy has employed generations of Appalachian State students, and the ownership team now includes four long-time managers who grew from within the business. That approach has made the company a cornerstone of the High Country restaurant industry and a place where a first job can become a career. For building a business that has stayed rooted in Boone for a quarter century and made room for others to grow within and outside it, Stick Boy Bread Company and Hatchet Coffee receive the Alfred Adams Award for Economic Development.
Kathy Crutchfield Citizen of the Year
DAVE BREWER
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Kathy Crutchfield Citizen of the Year Award annually to an individual who exemplifies a selfless work ethic while impacting and supporting a broad array of community partners. Presented annually by Beech Mountain Resort.
Dave Brewer has spent more than two decades as a fixture of the High Country’s food and music scenes, and along the way he has become one of the area’s most dependable connectors. The man of many hats, Dave is a Partner and General Manager at Holloway Corner Kitchen in Foscoe, a multi-instrumentalist with Possum Jenkins, Soul Benefactor, The Dead of Winter, The Junaluska Gospel Choir, Real Companion, and Dave Brewer’s Foscoe Four, a former staff writer at High Country Press, and the longtime host of a radio show that still airs in reruns on the coast. Since 2008, he has run Boone A.M.E.N. (Area Musicians Experiencing Need) Corner, providing financial support to area musicians and their families during hard stretches. He has spent years booking bands and organizing events, including High Country BeerFest and Valle Crucis Community Park Music in the Valle.
Holloway Corner Kitchen opened in 2024 in a legacy Foscoe restaurant building, a project Brewer took on with partner Andy Long. The opening brought new life to a corner that had anchored the Foscoe dining scene for decades. Whether keeping the lights on for a fellow musician or opening Holloway Corner Kitchen’s doors when neighbors needed a place to gather, Dave’s selfless work ethic and knack for bringing people together make him a fitting recipient of this year’s Kathy Crutchfield Citizen of the Year Award.
Sue Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism
NC GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN & FIRST LADY ANNA STEIN
The Sue W. Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism is named for the former Chamber Director, who used her influence in tourism promotion to capitalize on the region’s natural resources while balancing progress with preservation. Sponsored annually by Home2 Suites by Hilton of Boone.
Growing up in Elkin, North Carolina, First Lady Anna Stein came into her role by way of public health and law. Rural tourism is one of her three priorities as First Lady, a commitment that predates Helene and one she has carried into the High Country in the seasons since. Governor Josh Stein grew up in Charlotte and Chapel Hill, studied at Dartmouth College and Harvard University, and served in the state Senate and eight years as Attorney General before taking office in January 2025. Since then, the two have kept a steady habit of showing up in the towns and on the rivers that visitors travel here to see, and their attention has widened from outdoor recreation to the outfitters, restaurants, shops, and lodging that fill in once a visitor decides to come.
In June 2025, the First Lady led WNC Open for Business Week, spent the morning in a canoe on the New River, hosted a symbolic ribbon cutting, then carried the day to a far larger audience through her social channels and the state press. That evening, the Governor took the same message to national television, appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. This set the tone for the summer ahead and grew into a nationwide call to Rediscover the Unforgettable.
The Steins understand that tourism in the High Country is a year-round business. In February 2026, they toured Appalachian Ski Mountain, Beech Mountain Resort, and Sugar Mountain Resort during the Winter Olympics, drawing attention to a ski industry that brings more than 780,000 visitors to the region each year and supplies over 2,000 jobs. Tourism promotion is usually measured in campaigns and impressions, but what the Steins offer the High Country is personal presence in the places that needed visitors most, at the moment it matters. For sustained advocacy on behalf of mountain communities and the businesses that depend on visitors, Governor Josh Stein and First Lady Anna Stein receive the Sue W. Wilmoth Award for the Advancement of Tourism.
Ben Suttle Special Services Award
JUDITH PHOENIX
The Ben Suttle Special Services Award is named for the former Boone Town Councilman and recognizes the spirit of volunteerism in the community. Presented annually by Appalachian State University.
After working five decades as a social worker, Judith Phoenix retired and found a second career in volunteering, one she is still working in her eighties. Judith’s first act of volunteerism was with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) in 2013, where she started by helping park cars at an event. Eventually, she joined the organization’s board and later became Board Chair, returning to what she had spent her working years doing: connecting people to resources. While Judith is not a farmer, she is a dedicated advocate who understands that a local food system holds only when the whole community rallies around it.
Retirement has only widened Judith’s work. When not supporting BRWIA, you will find her ushering at the Appalachian Theatre, serving on the Town of Boone Cultural Resources Advisory Board, sorting and selling items at Village Thrift for college scholarships, or out on the Middle Fork Greenway with Blue Ridge Conservancy. She remains active at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Blowing Rock Garden Club. Show up almost anywhere in this community and Judith is already there, showing her support by attending as many events as possible. This decades-long commitment to service is exactly what the Ben Suttle Special Services Award was created to honor, making Judith Phoenix a most deserving recipient.
Baker/Jones Woman of the Year
MISSY HARRILL
The Baker-Jones Woman of the Year award is named for long-time Chamber volunteers Gillian Baker and Susan Jones. This award honors an inspiring member who exemplifies the qualities of leadership, mentorship, and community involvement. Co-sponsored annually by Blue Ridge Energy and UNC Health Appalachian.
Missy Harrill works in an industry where you have to sell an idea before it exists. At Foscoe Companies, that means starting with the finished picture and working backward through the soil samples, the landowner conversations, and whatever else stands in the way. She applies the same method to community issues. Drawing on her own history with the lack of accessible childcare, Missy understands what it costs the regional workforce when parents are left home watching children, and what that means for every employer here, including her own. She has lent that expertise to Kid Cove, to facilities work with Watauga County Schools, and to the Watauga County Early Childhood Education and Development Fund, while making the case among fellow business leaders.
Her approach to development carries the same sense of responsibility. Rock outcroppings, trees, and the natural features that bring people to the High Country are worth preserving, and the work is making something new fit a place that already has a character worth protecting. That long view extends to higher education, where she serves on the Appalachian State University Foundation Board and has been part of the team behind Mountaineer Tavern, a project built to support App State Athletics through a different funding model. Missy also makes a point of helping other women find their place in the room, sharing what she knows and making space for those coming up behind her. For her leadership, problem-solving, and commitment to community, Missy Harrill receives the Baker-Jones Woman of the Year Award.
Wade Brown Award for Community Involvement
ASHEMONT TITLE
Represented by Lindsay Miller, Director, Community Outreach
The Wade Brown Award for Community Involvement is the Chamber’s oldest award, dating back to 1979. Named after the first recipient of the honor, this award recognizes a significant contribution through community engagement. Sponsored by The 1850 Hotel.
Ashemont Title opened its doors in 2021 with a unique goal: build a company whose growth automatically produces charitable giving. Title insurance protects buyers and lenders against defects in a property’s ownership record, and it is required on any real estate transaction involving a loan. That structure makes the work relationship driven. The team checks in with realtors, lenders, and closing attorneys throughout the year and asks what they are seeing in their own communities, then directs gifts accordingly. In its first five years, the company has given more than $600,000 to nonprofits across North Carolina, distributing roughly 75 individual gifts in a single round. Those gifts are unrestricted, allowing nonprofits to direct support to operations, a capital campaign, or a gap left by a funding cut. The giving spans youth, hunger, housing, medical needs, arts and culture, the environment, animal welfare, and equity. Locally, Ashemont Title’s support includes Western Youth Network, Blue Ridge Conservancy, and the Children’s Council. Statewide partners include organizations like Band Together in the Triangle.
Founded in Ashe County and now operating in all 100 North Carolina counties, the company still lets local relationships drive where the money lands. For proving that a business can be built with community support at its center, Brett Summey, Michael Fink, Lindsay Miller, and the team at Ashemont Title receive the Wade Brown Award for Community Involvement.
Dan Meyer Partnership Award
HOWARD KNOB
Destination By Design, STITCH Design Shop, Watauga County, Explore Boone
The Dan Meyer Community Partnership Award recognizes a community leader for their efforts to bring multiple parties together for a common cause. Meyer served as President/CEO of the Chamber for 12 years before retiring in August of 2016. Sponsored annually by LifeStore Bank.
Howard Knob has been the postcard view of Boone for as long as anyone can remember, and now accessible for all, it will hold that place for generations to come thanks to partership between Destination by Design, STITCH Design Shop, Explore Boone, and Watauga County. The park reopened in July 2026 after a $2.2 million redevelopment, capped by a horseshoe-shaped overlook that opens the panoramic view of Appalachian State University, downtown Boone, and the surrounding mountains. Destination by Design, headquartered in Boone, produced the original master plan for the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority in 2018 and later led design and engineering. STITCH Design Shop, officed in Boone, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro, served as architect. Explore Boone and Watauga County carried the project through funding, permitting, and public process, paid for with occupancy tax and an Accessibility for Parks grant.
None of the partners involved worked at a distance. They each hold a shared stake in the High Country that shaped every decision, from where the overlook sits to how the walkway meets the summit. For keeping this work close to home and turning a shared idea into a public asset that will outlast all of them, the Howard Knob Park partners receive the Dan Meyer Partnership Award.
everGREEN Award For Sustainability
DR. LYNN GIBBARD
The everGREEN Award for Sustainability is presented to a business, organization, project, or person who has furthered the inclusion and integration of sustainable development principles. Sponsored annually by Mast General Store.
Dr. Lynn Gibbard has built a career at the intersection of education, professional service, and sustainable communities. A professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Communication, she serves as Co-Founder and Consultant for Frontline to Farm, an App State program that supports military veterans transition to sustainable farming as a livelihood. The work pairs hands-on agricultural training with a larger goal of building resilient local food networks. Her work also includes creating community connections that promote sustainable agriculture, strengthen veteran services, and provide ongoing partnerships for education and service.
The heart of Gibbard’s work has been creating opportunities for her fellow veterans to transition successfully to civilian life. Her 2015 Department of Education grant established App State’s veteran services unit and increased the number of student veterans on campus. Her recent work as co-founder and co-director of Frontline to Farm was made possible with nearly $800,000 in USDA/BFRDP grant money and supplemental funds. The training also supported community partners and farms as trainers and hosts, as well as community outreach. After Hurricane Helene devastated the area, Gibbard worked with the regional veteran organizations to get immediate relief for veterans. She went on to work with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture staff to develop and manage the 2025 Producer Relief Grant backed by funds she secured from Farm Aid and the Boone Sunrise Rotary. In 2025, she served as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar in where she taught classes focused on US military culture and American food ways. Dr. Gibbard’s dedication to the principles of sustainability in service to farmers, veterans, and the community embodies makes her the ideal recipient of this year’s everGREEN Award for Sustainability.
Elizabeth Young Award for Community Leadership
TASHA ROUNTREE
The Elizabeth Young Award for Community Leadership is presented to a person or organization whose leadership has been pivotal to maintaining the health and vibrancy of our community. The award recognizes leadership that rises above the work of any one business or agency in order to unite and mobilize business, government, non-profit, and civic partners toward an improved quality of life for our entire community. Sponsored annually by Highstreet Insurance.
Tasha Rountree came to Blue Ridge Energy in 2018 from a banking career, serving as Ashe district manager before becoming Director of Community Relations and Economic Development. The move put her in a position to do at scale what she had been doing one customer at a time: figuring out what a community needs and finding the resources to meet it. She now runs the programs that connect a member-owned cooperative to the seven counties it serves, from the Leadership Track for high school students to Bright Ideas teacher grants, Operation Round Up, and the Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation.
Her work rarely carries her name on it. Someone has to sit in the room where a teacher grant gets approved or a scholarship gets awarded, then go sit in the next room. Rountree is an Appalachian State University graduate, a graduate of both Leadership Ashe and the Watauga Leadership Challenge, and a longtime board member at Watauga Opportunities, an organization built around employment for people with disabilities. For leadership that has quietly moved resources to where the High Country needs them most, Tasha Rountree receives the Elizabeth Young Award for Community Leadership.