Central Virginia Times

Local Business Leaders Earn Top Honors from the Chamber

The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce will honor Kara Chandeysson, Eddie Karoliussen and van der Linde Recycling with its 2022 business awards.

The Chamber’s highest award, Business Leader of the Year, will go to Chandeysson. She recently became Director of Public Policy, Government Affairs & Community Engagement for Ting, after four years as Ting’s Charlottesville City Manager.

Karoliussen will be recognized as the Christopher Lee Small Business Person of the Year. He is the Owner and Principal Broker of Four Corners Real Estate Solutions.

Van der Linde Recycling will receive the new Upstanding Award in recognition of its responsible business practices. Peter van der Linde founded the company in 2006 to divert construction and demolition debris from landfills.

The awards will be presented at The Chamber’s Fabulous Fest, a celebratory event at The Wool Factory on December 1, 2022. Tickets are available at bit.ly/FabFest22.

Chandeysson has been instrumental in numerous efforts to improve digital equity and broadband access in the Greater Charlottesville region.

In a nominating statement, Catherine Chapman Mosley of LUMOS said, "Kara epitomizes our industry’s push toward digital equity for all and companies working together and with municipalities to make this happen. Perhaps the Ting Pavilion sponsorship which Kara formed is most emblematic of the way Kara lives her professional and personal life – bringing people of all backgrounds together to create community."

Karoliussen has donated over $50,000 to area nonprofits in the last three years through his Greater Good Program, which invites his clients to select a nonprofit beneficiary for a portion of each real estate commission.

Jamie Yowell of Bank of the James said in a nominating statement, “Eddie is an awesome 'first face' for our community with his welcoming style and service leadership approach. He puts the interest of our community and others as a top priority in his business and personal life.”

Van der Linde Recycling provides an ever-expanding range of commercial and residential recycling services in its quest to reduce landfill waste. In response to the Chamber’s call for companies to share their “upstanding” practices, Jessica Brown of van der Linde said in a statement:

"Van der Linde’s mission is to care for their people, community and planet through the recovery and recycling of discarded materials. By focusing on construction & demolition debris and other bulk recyclables, van der Linde is reducing the landfill footprint and creating a more sustainable future for our youth...

The company has an extremely diverse workforce, consisting of all ethnicities and a wide variance of educational backgrounds. The facility participates in the work release programs through the local jails and provides free reading, writing, and GED training while on the job to all employees...

Every quarter van der Linde Recycling’s Community Outreach Committee selects a local non-profit organization whom they will support through fundraising activities."

Original source can be found here