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The Green Business Award has been given to a company that demonstrates innovative sustainability in all of their business practices. The 2020 Green Business Award goes to Blue Diamond Growers.

Blue Diamond Growers is the world’s leading almond marketer and processor. It led the development of California’s almond industry since it was formed as a nonprofit, grower-owned cooperative over 100 years ago. Today Blue Diamond has over 3,000 growers across California.

With all the challenges for businesses in 2020, they did not let it stop them from becoming Green Certified. Blue Diamond Growers joined the California Green Business Network Stanislaus program and made the commitment to save resources not only for their facility, but also the community. The facility features several energy-saving attributes including LED lighting, a multi-staged HVAC system, and temperaturecontrolled processes. To meet and exceed today’s stringent food safety standards, the new facility houses separate room enclosures with electronic-controlled entry to better control environmental conditions, along with automated pressurized air, and automated controls for all processes and packaging, including monitoring line performance, yields and downtime. Additionally, the integrated processing lines move finished product direct to cold storage and shipping and will greatly reduce material handling and trucking costs. Beneath the facility, buried perforated pipe will keep stormwater on-site to recharge the ground water and deliver it directly to the soil.

Blue Diamond Growers won The Green Business Award for 2020. Blue Diamond Growers joined the Modesto Chamber of Commerce in 2019 and has been implementing sustainable practices for a cleaner and efficient community since 2020.

For more information about Blue Diamond Growers please go to www.bluediamond.com.

Neptune Water Solutions is helping businesses go green by eliminating bottled water usage as well as helping companies implement a sanitization protocol for their drinking water. The challenge with using the 5-gallon bottledwater jugs is that you expose everyone that uses them to drink contaminated water, as they are a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses including COVID-19. We can eliminate all of that risk. Our dispensers are closed systems, meaning air never touches our water until it is dispensed into your glass.

We also help eliminate vendor visits by 92 percent since you won’t have any bottled deliveries. Our dispensers have antimicrobial technology baked into the surface, keeping germs from colonizing on the coolers; this aids in your effort of reducing sick days.

We offer two options for touchless dispensing with our foot pedal and sensor pad for a hands-free way to dispense your water. Our installation process is simple and seamless, all we require is a water source and a power outlet, we take care of the rest.

Benefits of making a switch from bottled water or a nontouchless option:

- Our units have a 5-Stage Water Purification process, including reverse osmosis: 99.99 percent of all contaminants are removed. - Mineral Enhanced … Added Calcium, Magnesium and Electrolytes to improve health.

- In-Tank Sanitization … Prevents the growth of bacteria once the purified water is in the stainless -steel tank.

- Endless Supply of Purified Water … Never run out of water again.

- Bottle Free … No need to store or lift heavy 42-pound water jugs.

- Closed System … Eliminates all airborne contamination.

- Clean Contact Surface … Prevents germs from colonizing on the cooler.

- Touch-free Dispensing … Compliant with enhanced cleaning protocols and reduces need for surface contact.

- Budgeting Made Easy … One low monthly payment. No hidden costs. With bottled water, the more you use the more you spend.

Contact us to set up a 7-day free trial so you have the opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison before making a change. Within 7 days you can start drinking the safest, healthiest, and purest water you can drink.

To promote the region’s economic strengths and vitality; identify and promote services that are valuable to our members; advocate for public policy that is advantageous to the business community; and fully participate and partner in activities to improve quality of life.

The Chamber Member of the Year Award is given to the Company who has shown a continued commitment to promoting the business community’s growth through their investment of time, resources, and personnel, supporting the Chamber’s Mission of business growth.

The 2020 winner of the Chamber Member of the Year is Comcast. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest video, high-speed internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses via Comcast Business. Although their footprint spans across 39 states and the District of Columbia, they truly understand the importance of local investments and engagement.

Comcast is proud of the long-standing membership of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce and the organization’s mission to support the local business community, which serves as the backbone for our economy. Over the years, they have also partnered with local organizations, including the Central Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Opportunity Stanislaus, Learning Quest of Stanislaus County, among others, to help support initiatives around economic development, education, and digital literacy.

As a local internet service provider, they take pride in the strength and reliability of their network. Comcast is immensely proud of its $15 million investment announced this year, to enhance and expand their internet infrastructure in Modesto. Upon completion, the network will have the capacity to deliver up to 10-Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) Ethernet speeds, and increased capacity and reliability to an estimated 2,000 businesses throughout downtown and central Modesto. This project was made possible with the support of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce, who provided support at the press announcement and by hosting a virtual panel event with local, leading experts on technology and economic development and sustainability.

Comcast has been effective with COVID responses and have continued commitment to helping the local communities. When the Country entered into lockdown in March, Comcast announced they would provide free internet service for the first 60 days for new Internet Essentials customers, and free access to more than 1.5 million public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to everyone, the largest network of its kind in the country. As the uncertainty continues, Comcast has extended these commitments three times, most recently announcing they will continue through June 30, 2021.

Comcast made a $10,000 contribution to the Stanislaus Community Foundation’s COVID Relief Fund to support local businesses impacted by closures. In September, they also launched their Internet Essentials Partnership Program, which enables a third party to sponsor low-cost internet for their constituents, and entered into a partnership with Stanislaus State University to provide free internet service for select university students throughout Stanislaus, Merced, Tuolumne, and San Joaquin counties.

Due to ongoing impacts of the pandemic, social unrest, and environmental events, Comcast recently announced the launch of Comcast RISE (Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment). This program aims to create sustainable impact and give meaningful support to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned small businesses, who have been hardest hit. Comcast alone can’t remedy complex, systemic issues, but they are deeply committed to playing a role in driving change.