GILROY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
SPICE OF LIFE AWARDS
On February 3, over 350 people joined this year’s Spice of Life Award recipients at
San Juan Oaks in Hollister for the 65th Annual Citizen and Business Awards Dinner
and Board Installation Ceremony. Since 1966 the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce has
been honoring individuals who go above and beyond to help make Gilroy a great
place to live and work.
David Boll
This year, Dave Boll was honored posthumously
for his many years of dedication and commitment
to the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. Dave served
two terms as a Board member and was also a past
Chair of the Board. He continued to assist and serve
in many ways but most notably each year with the
Chamber’s Beer Gardens at the Garlic Festival. Dave
believed in the cause of the Chamber and always
did what he could to ensure its success. His wife
Eileen accepted the award on his behalf.
Noah Construction Corporation,
Large Business of the Year
Noah Concrete Corporation is a family owned business, founded in 1996
and established in San Jose, Noah Concrete became the recognized leader
in concrete services. The company’s success allowed Noah Concrete rapid
expansion and they moved their operations to Gilroy in 2000. Since then, Noah
Concrete has been providing concrete services to their clients all throughout the
Bay Area. In 2007 they opened their recycling operation and have been able
to divert hundreds of thousands of tons of material from landfills back to new
building projects. This allows new construction projects to earn LEED credits for
“green” building.
Don Alvarez, Sr. sees Gilroy as extended family. Don is involved at his
church, St. Mary’s Church and helped with various improvements. They have
donated labor and materials for other projects as well such as, the FFA barn
slab at Gilroy High School; K-9 kennel slabs at the old Gilroy PD station; the
helicopter pad at St. Louise Regional Hospital and multiple projects at the
Hispanic Learning Center in San Jose. Most recently, Noah Concrete’s efforts
helped raise over $3,000 for the Gilroy Police Foundation. Don is a member of
the Gilroy Elks and a member of the American Society of Concrete Contractors.
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Lupe Lopez,
Woman of the Year
Lupe Lopez, owner of Arteaga’s Food Center,
has received numerous awards and recognitions
for the work she does to create heathy habits
and better educational opportunities. Lupe first
opened Arteaga’s Food Center in 2001. After
getting acclimated, she organized the food center’s
first Community Health Fair. Year after year, she
continues to promote awareness and healthier
eating habits through the availability of high
quality produce and sponsoring community events
that focus on education of those habits. Lupe
has been the driving force of bringing together
health advocates, community based organizations,
government agencies and private parties to provide
much needed services to the Gilroy community.
Gary Walton has been an active member of the
community for 30 years. As the current President
of the Gilroy Downtown Business Association
(GDBA), Gary works closely with downtown mer-
chants to improve the “downtown experience.”
It only takes a few minutes of conversation with
Gary to get a feel for all the ideas swirling around
in his head. Gary is an avid reader of downtown
revitalization efforts and believes our downtown’s
best days are still ahead. Gary serves on the
Gilroy Unreinforced Masonry Committee, Gilroy
Dispatch Editorial Board, President of the Miller
Red Barn Association and has served on the Gilroy
Economic Development Corporation’s Board. Gary
gives to many charitable causes and is helpful to
many individuals in this town.
Maria Walker,
Educator of the Year
APRIL/MAY 2018
Gary Walton,
Man of the Year
Maria Walker, Principal of Solorsano Middle
School saw her pursuit of being an educator a
true calling. Maria found the idea of helping
a child learn and grow educationally satisfied
her need to help others. She began her career
in the Gilroy Unified School District in 1990
as a substitute teacher. In 2008 she became
the Assistant Principal at ASMS, and continued
in that position, until taking on the role of
Principal in 2011. For Maria, education is a
vital component to future success. Her goal is
to instill the love of learning in all children. She
wants children to come to school excited about
learning. Maria is knowledgeable about current
trends and issues related to educational equity,
at-risk youth issues, with a continued focus on
closing the achievement gap.
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