Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Names 2015 Citizen of the Year
Andy Crews will be honored at April 14th Annual Dinner
Manchester, NH (March 11, 2016)—The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) is pleased to announce Andy Crews as its 2015 Citizen of the Year. The award will be presented to Andy on Thursday, April 14th at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. The Citizen of the Year award is an annual tradition of the GMCC which first began in 1954. Andy Crews will be honored at April 14th Annual Dinner
Andy Crews, AutoFair Automotive Group President and CEO, has proven that serving the community can also be a critical part of building a successful company. Andy, who has significantly expanded the AutoFair family of dealerships and businesses, has personally championed annual fundraising efforts across the Greater Manchester community year after year. His efforts range from the Granite State Baseball Dinner to giving an annual percentage of November proceeds to New Horizons of New Hampshire. Andy helped launch Manchester’s annual Make-the-Grade competition, which rewards one high school student who has excelled in the classroom with a new automobile.
Andy’s most recent endeavor may be his most inspirational, helping to lead the development of Manchester’s first home for integrated drug treatment and recovery. “The [recovery] center will be a game changer and it will be the difference that our community desperately needs and would not have been possible without the leadership and dedication of Andy Crews,” said Mayor Ted Gatsas, in his recommendation for Andy Crews’ Citizen of the Year nomination.
With more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, Crews, who is originally from Georgia, moved to New Hampshire to lead AutoFair in 2006. Andy and his wife, Melissa, live in Bedford, New Hampshire, with their two daughters, Carli and Tyler.
“Andy is an amazing role model for how to achieve business success while also giving selflessly to the community through leadership, civic engagement and philanthropy,” said Michael Skelton, GMCC President and CEO. “We are honored and thrilled to name Andy as our next Citizen of the Year.”
Andy currently sits on the board of several non-profit groups including the Palace Theatre Board of Trustees and Granite State Children’s Alliance. In addition to his charitable work, Andy served on several business associated boards including past Chair of the New Hampshire Automotive Dealers Association, past Chair of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and is a Founding Member of and sits on the Board of Directors for The Live Free or Die Alliance. Additional organizations and activities that Andy has been involved with include, but are not limited to, Families in Transition, CHaD, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, Friends of the Manchester Animal Shelter, Veterans Count/ Easter Seals, Active Heroes/ Carry the Fallen, the Farnum Center, Hope for NH, Glendi, Catholic Medical Center, Loeb School First Amendment, Granite State Children’s Alliance, Child Advocacy Center of Hillsborough County, The Moore Center, Boy Scouts and The New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
Andy was nominated for Citizen of the Year by Sarah Cadden, Executive Assistant at AutoFair. In her nomination, Sarah said, “Andy has demonstrated a deep concern for improving the greater community of Manchester both in terms of the quality of life for its citizens as well as for his more than 650 employees year after year.”
Since 1954 the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce has presented one outstanding individual the Citizen of the Year Award. This outstanding group of individuals has been paramount in shaping the GMCC’s agenda and the community. The Citizen of the Year award recognizes an individual with outstanding leadership and citizenship in the community, while demonstrating exemplary vision, civic pride and commitment to the betterment of society. To be nominated, the individual should live in the greater Manchester area and his or her activities should be centered in the same area. Recognition is given for leadership and performance in several areas of community service over a period of years.
Andy Crews will be recognized as 2015 Citizen of the Year at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, presented by Eastern Bank, on Tuesday, April 14, 2016 at 5:00 pm at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. For information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.manchester-chamber.org/COY.
ABOUT THE GREATER MANCHESTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Incorporated in 1911, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) is the largest business organization in the greater Manchester area with close to 1,000 members. The GMCC focuses its efforts primarily on Manchester and the surrounding communities of Auburn, Bedford, Candia, Derry, Goffstown, Hooksett, Litchfield, Londonderry, and Merrimack. It is the Chamber’s mission to be the leading force in the improvement of the business environment, the economic health and the general vitality of the region. The GMCC provides members with marketing and networking opportunities, economic indicators, legislative bulletins, and representation in both local and state government. For more information visit www.manchester-chamber.org.
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Lauren Kannenberg Member Communications Manager
- March 11, 2016
- Direct:(603)792-4119
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