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The Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce honored several residents and local businesses who positively contribute to the city at its 58th annual Community Service Awards on Monday.
The award ceremony, which dates back to 1963, is meant to recognize “individuals, groups and businesses who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in business, volunteer activities and achievement in Pleasanton,” according to a press release prior to the event, which took place at the Callippe Preserve Golf Course in Pleasanton.
Herb Ritter, former chair of the Pleasanton Planning Commission, presented the City Initiative Award on behalf of the chamber’s Community Foundation to the city’s “Downtown Transportation Corridor” project.
According to the chamber, the award differs from other awards that recognize the accomplishments of individuals, businesses and nonprofits. It instead recognized the city’s capital investment expansion project of the transportation corridor between Bernal Avenue and Abbie Street, which adds an additional 81 parking spaces to the downtown parking.
The expanded parking area, which was just made open to the public this Wednesday, was lauded as “an outstanding city of Pleasanton project or program that enhances the quality of life in our community,” according to chamber officials.
Past recipients of the award went to the Pioneer Cemetery, the Firehouse Arts Center, the Regional Food Storage Facility, the Dolores Bengtson Aquatic Center renovation and other city-led projects, according to the chamber.
“A significant component of this project are the sustainability measures that were implemented. In the parking lot, three EV charging stations have been installed to allow for charging in up to five spaces,” according to the chamber. “Pavement base materials throughout the parking areas are 100% recycled materials, the asphalt pavement is 20% recycled material, and drought tolerant landscaping was planted.”
Kim Damiani, a financial advisor at Summit Financial Group, presented the other awards as chair of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Excellence in Service: Alan Hu Foundation. After parents Xiaofang Chen and Chih-Ching Hu lost their 15-year-old son Alan to suicide in 2018, they looked to channel that grief into creating the Alan Hu Foundation.
The foundation was created to help others like the former Amador Valley High School student who are battling with mental illness and to help “promote mental health, raise awareness, and remove stigma surrounding psychiatric disorders, and support fundamental research for cures.”
“At Alan’s memorial service, though overcome with grief, Xiaofang vowed to create the Alan Hu Foundation to honor her son,” according to the event script. “She wanted to help those who suffer from mental illness, as well as to support their families. In four short years, she has accomplished those goals through a laser-focus on the foundation’s mission.”
Business Philanthropy: Nina Pomeroy Photography. Pomeroy is a headshot photographer based in Pleasanton who, apart from donating her time to local charities and nonprofits, does a lot of photography work with veterans.
One of the organizations that she works with is Portraits for Patriots, a national organization that allows photographers to work with veterans and provide professional headshots for transitioning members of the military.
She serves as the only volunteer photographer for the organization in the greater Bay Area, which means she has had participants travel to her studio from all over the state.
Pomeroy plans to move her photography business to a larger studio in downtown Pleasanton soon as she hopes to expand her work and continue providing photography services for the community, according to the chamber.
“I can honestly say that what I do is never ‘work,’ ” she said in a statement. “Life isn’t worth living without giving back.”
Distinguished Individual Service: Ken Mano. Mano has lived in Pleasanton since 1971 with his wife, Carolyn. They have six children who all graduated from Amador Valley.
According to the chamber, there are many reasons why Ken Mano received the award on Monday but some of his favorite ones have been his dedication as scoutmaster and his time serving as the volleyball coach at Amador.
He is also on the Twin Valley District Committee for Boy Scouts of America as publicity chairman and he serves as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which visits nonprofits in the Bay Area to provide humanitarian grants for homelessness, abused women, refugees and food insecurity.
Apart from that, he was the blood drive coordinator for the American Red Cross for 10 years and during the pandemic he coordinated volunteers to help with food distribution. He’s also on the Committee for Thanksgiving Dinner, which helps those in need with St. Raymond Catholic Church.
Excellence in Business (Small Company): Schlicher Orthodontics. Will Schlicher said that he “truly appreciates the opportunity to help children, teens and adults love their smiles.” That is why his orthodontic services are being recognized — for the extra mile he goes to make his patients happy.
“I love to make people smile. It is so cool to see the joy and self-confidence when a patient sees their new smile at the end of their treatment,” he said to the chamber. “I love the challenges of designing a treatment plan to efficiently move the teeth and then partnering with my patients to make their results stunning.”
Having originally started in 2008, Schlicher relocated his business to a larger location on Stoneridge Drive in 2017. According to the chamber, it’s more than just orthodontics to his team — it’s about engaging with patients “in a way that creates a practice where patients feel listened to, respected and encouraged.”
Some of the ways they do that is by handing out goodie bags when people get their braces taken off, supporting the schools through donations, putting together toy drives and collecting donations for others in need.
Excellence in Business (Large Company): Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies. Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies is an innovative technology development company in the field of industrial robots. The company focuses on industrial automation and robotics, including software and vision guidance.
According to the event script, the company’s mission is to improve lives and contribute to a better society. It was established in 1933 in Kyoto, Japan and now has more than 29,000 group employees and net sales totaling more than $750 billion.
The company was recognized for its academic collaborations with colleges and high schools in the area like when it sponsored and supported the Foothill High School Robotics Club, creating a talent pipeline for intern and career placement.
It also established a partnership with the Pleasanton Unified School District’s Adults with Disabilities Internship Program. Company employees also recently packed 9,600 meals for Pleasanton’s Kids Against Hunger nonprofit organization.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Omron Robotics and Safety Technologies. The Pleasanton Weekly regrets the error.
