Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rachel Karp, left, poses with Citizen of the Year Franny Preston on Thursday. (Photos provided — Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce)

SARANAC LAKE — Franny Preston was honored as this year’s Citizen of the Year and the Hotel Saranac as Business of the Year by the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at its annual dinner and celebration on Thursday.

The Citizen of the Year Award honors an area resident who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the quality of life in Saranac Lake. Preston has given her time, energy, hard work and expertise in several organizations and events in the community, according to the chamber. She has served on the Lake Placid Sinfonietta board, the Saranac Lake Free Library board, the Village Mercantile board, is actively involved with St. Lukes Church, has been a member of the Rotary Club for the past 19 years, including serving as president for one year and the MC of the Rotary Show for about five years. Preston often goes out of her way to help other people and is a friendly face in the community, according to the chamber.

The Business of the Year Award is given to a chamber member that has made a significant contribution to the community through business expansion, business initiative and overall success. Hotel Saranac is part of the Curio collection by Hilton, employs over 80 people, has been an iconic part of Saranac Lake since 1927, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. When it was fully renovated and reopened in 2018, the community celebrated, according to the chamber.

“It is an important part of Saranac Lake history, vital to the downtown economy and supports the community in many ways including the farmers market, Winter Carnival, ArtWalks, Downtown Music Series, open mic nights, Turkey Trot, rugby and more,” a news release from the chamber reads.

Fred Roedel, CFO for Roedel Companies, and Jacob Kipping, general manager of Hotel Saranac, accepted the award.

The Employee Excellence Award is a new award established to honor an employee of a member business that exemplifies great leadership, customer service, loyalty and initiative. This year’s award recipient was Heidi Godin, the production supervisor at Bionique Testing Laboratories.

“She has made significant contributions with 23 years of employment to Bionique. She has been instrumental in motivating and inspiring her team to achieve outstanding results while upholding the company values of providing best-in-class services,” a news release from the chamber reads. “She has an innate ability to communicate clear direction and strategy, set realistic goals, and provide the necessary guidance and support to help the team succeed. She is an outstanding employee who embodies the qualities of great leadership, customer support, loyalty, and initiative.”

The chamber held its annual celebration at the Hotel Saranac. With more than 130 attendees, there was a festive mood in the atmosphere as people enjoyed the ambience of the Great Hall and stepped onto the red carpet for fun and celebration.

“Our annual dinner is our chance to celebrate the success of the chamber over the past year, look towards the future, and thank our members and the business community,” said Rachel Karp, executive director of the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

Garry Douglas, CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the importance of partnerships in communities and partner chambers. Chris Knight, vice president of the Saranac Lake Chamber, introduced the new officers of the chamber including the new president, Jacob Wright of Skyward Companies.