ership
Joel Goldsmith
Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year
The name Goldsmith is synonymous with words like generosity, kindness, success,
accomplishment, leadership and Man of the Year. Joel’s father, Glenn, and mother,
Jane, were honored as man and woman of the year in 1991. His wife, Paula, was
woman of the year in 2015.
Joel is a founding Board member of Leadership Gilroy where he also served as
President. He has been a member of the Rotary Club since 1984 and again served
as President. He served on the Board of Directors of Gilroy Gardens as Chair and
also served on the Welcome Center Board for five years.
Joel’s leadership and resources have been the foundation of success for the
annual Rotary Flower Sale. His efforts helped raise hundreds of thousands of
dollars over 25 years in support of local organizations and scholarships for Gilroy
youth. His generosity extends to other organizations such as the Gilroy Foundation,
Community Solutions and St. Joseph Family Center.
With all that Joel has done and could easily be proud of, he said his greatest
accomplishment is raising two kids who are now productive members of society
and anxious to give back to their communities.
Jeff Perkins
Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year
Next year, Perkins and his wife Mary will celebrate making their home in Morgan
Hill for 20 years. They have two children and seven grandchildren. In 2014 Heritage
Bank was selected as the Chamber’s business of the year. Perkins received the honor
of Volunteer of the Year in 2006.
Perkins has been involved with the Morgan Hill Community Foundation since
joining its board in 2001. He is also involved with the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill
as its service project coordinator. He coached the basketball team at Live Oak High
School for eight years. He’s now involved in the new Junior Achievement club at Live
Oak. His philosophy of involvement comes from years of working at a community
bank, he said.
“It’s important to see the community flourish,” he said. “These things
(opportunities for volunteering) come up, you get involved and you’re surrounded
by great people and the people we work with side by side. Everybody is trying to do
their part to make the community better. It’s easy to get involved.”