The Man and Woman of the Year 2023 and other community leaders won awards at Celebrate Duncanville Jan. 18. The gala event brought together a group of elegantly-clad
movers and shakers who attended the annual dinner program at the Hilton Garden Inn. Hosted by the City of Duncanville and the Chamber of Commerce, outstanding community leaders and volunteers were recognized by the City and the Chamber.
Chamber member Rick Jaynes served as Master of Ceremonies for the Celebrate Duncanville program, with Chamber President/CEO Steve Martin attending but keeping a low profile following recent heart procedures. Musical entertainment was provided by Ron Jones on the Saxophone.
Mayor Barry Gordon
The Mayor of Duncanville kicked off the program with a terrific State of the City video that showed some of the many highlights of 2023. The Mayor thanked Duncanville public information director Alex Hamby and videographer Francisco Ramos for their talents and work in producing the video. Gordon announced that after prayerful consideration, he will not run for Mayor again. He thanked the community for all their support during his four year term.
Mayor Gordon presented his two Awards of Excellence to local businesses. The small business award went to Tracy Shook and his team. Shook owns and operates Take Out Burgers and Kim & Jenny’s Cafe, both located on Wheatland Road in Duncanville. Precise Connections, Inc. and their CEO Jonathan Ott received the Mayor’s large business Award of Excellence.
Gordon also recognized Duncanville’s new City Manager, Doug Finch, from the audience, along with Councilmembers who attended Celebrate Duncanville. They included Councilwoman at Large DeMonica Gooden, District 2 Councilman Don McBurnett, and District 5 Councilman Greg Contreras. Other councilmembers Joe Veracruz, District 1; Jeremy Koontz, District 3; and Karen Cherry, District 4 were not able to attend. The Mayor also recognized Interim Duncanville ISD Superintendent Andrea Fields.
Tommie Rains, Immediate Past Chair
The immediate Past Chair of the Duncanville Chamber of Commerce, Tommie L. Rains, presented the Chairman’s Award to Jona Boney (The Maids of Duncanville) for her invaluable assistance to him and the chamber
Four chamber awards were presented by Celebrate Duncanville emcee Jaynes. The Pioneer Award, for a business that had operated at last 15 years, was presented to Southwest Printing and Copying. The company, owned and operated by Stan and June West, has served the Best Southwest community for over 30 years.
The award for Entrepreneur of the Year was accepted by Marlen Lopez of the Duncanville Canales Furniture Co. The family-owned business has locations in 22 cities including Duncanville. The 2023 Member of the Year award went to realtor and 2024 Duncanville Chamber Chair Jennifer Pennebaker. The Chamber’s award for Newcomer of the Year was presented to Michaela Jones, of Jones Inck.
2023 Man & Woman of the Year
The 2022 Man and Woman of the Year winners, Dr. Mike Minor and Dr. Danielle Franklin, then introduced the 2023 Man and Woman of the Year. Tom Fowlston of AV Productions was named the Man of the Year. His wife and partner, Amy Jackson, had previously won the Woman of the Year title. Dr. Franklin introduced June West of Southwest Printing and Copying as the 2023 Woman of the Year. Celebrate Duncanville was a big night for the West family, who had accepted an award for Southwest Printing and Copying, their company that won the prestigious Pioneer Award earlier in the program. The Man and Woman of the Year are chosen for their extraordinary contributions to the community.
Other nominees for Woman of the Year were Jennifer Pennebaker, Monica Kenney, and Vicki Smith. Other nominees for Man of the Year were Greg Zylka, Dr. Mark Smith, Tommie Rains, and Zul Hudani.
