On March 19, 2025, the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2025 Valley Chamber Business Awards at CenterPlace Regional Event Center, honoring the region’s outstanding organizations and educators. This annual event celebrates local businesses and nonprofits’ contributions to the community.
An independent panel of judges selects two winners in each category: one large organization (26 or more employees) and one small (25 or fewer employees). The awards recognize excellence in Business Innovation, Inspiring Workplace, and Community Stewardship.
New for 2025, the Chamber produced videos for each winning business, showcasing their accomplishments from the past year. These videos offer a deeper look into their dedication and impact. Read on to discover the recognized leaders and organizations.
Community Stewardship
Embrace Washington
Embrace Washington is the small business recipient for “Community Stewardship.” Embrace Washington was recognized for their exceptional dedication to transforming the lives of children in foster care.
One of Embrace’s signature events is the Santa Breakfast, which they have hosted for over 25 years. “We are providing Christmas to 600 local children in foster care,” said Terri Crafts, Embrace Washington’s Executive Director. “I’ve had children come up to me and tell me that they didn’t believe Santa existed and that they finally felt like this year they were good enough to meet Santa.”
At the Santa Breakfast, every child gets a book, a stuffed animal, and a photo with Santa. “For many of these children, it was the first time they had received presents,” Crafts said.
Along with the Santa Breakfast, Embrace Washington launched the Sleep Safe project to support sibling placements, provided HALO medical assistance, sponsored 262 YMCA memberships for foster families, and offered critical academic support through tutoring partnerships with Whitworth University and Mathnasium.
Through their extensive collaborations with nonprofits, universities, sports clubs, the YMCA, and more, Embrace Washington offers hope to so many children experiencing trauma and uncertainty.
Dishman Dodge Ram Chrysler Jeep
Dishman Dodge Ram Chrysler Jeep is the large business winner for “Community Stewardship.”
Dishman Dodge was recognized for its longstanding commitment to community philanthropy, particularly its support for local children and Bite2Go.
As a family-owned dealership deeply rooted in Spokane Valley, Dishman has generously invested in local causes for decades. In 2024, their impactful “Bite2Go” initiative adopted two local schools, directly addressing weekend food insecurity for children.
“Bite2Go benefits kids that don’t have a good supply of food over the weekends,” said Mark Waltermire, Dishman Dodge’s President. “Once a week, we go to that Valley Food Partners, and we pick up the food that’s needed, and we drop it off at the schools we sponsor.”
Their broader community involvement includes contributions to Vanessa Behan, NAOMI, Camp Journey NW, Operation Warm, and the PACE awards.
“Being locally owned and being able to make our own decisions without a set structure has helped us with the longevity of our employees and with the direction we want our donations and our support to go to,” Waltermire said.
Dishman Dodge’s dedication to uplifting Spokane Valley’s youth exemplifies their role as not just a business but a valued community partner.
Business Innovation
Restoration 1
Restoration 1 is the large business winner for “Business Innovation.” Restoration 1 distinguished their business by successfully integrating a cutting-edge mobile app directly into its daily operations.
“By embracing this new app and technology, we’ve been able to really streamline our whole process of documentation,” said Jason Cisco, Restoration 1’s Vice President of Sales. “We can now instantaneously view and send photos to our customers and support team to make sure we have what we need to get to work and help them.”
Restoration 1 has significantly reduced response times thanks to its business’s mission of training and updated operating procedures. Before embracing this technological approach, Restoration 1’s reps would have to take pictures in the field, go back to the office, and upload them before reviewing them and hoping they got all the pictures and information they needed. Now, they are able to immediately upload and view information and send it to customers in seconds.
“We pride ourselves on being 24/7 and having one-hour response times,” Cisco said. “As technology has gotten more advanced, we’re continuing to look at ways to take advantage of that to better serve our customers overall.”
This forward-thinking approach not only mitigated current challenges but also set Restoration 1 apart within its industry, demonstrating a commitment to innovation that ensures continued growth and responsiveness. Their use of technology to improve customer experiences marks them as a leader deserving of recognition.
Precision Driving Academy
Precision Driving Academy is the small business recipient for “Business Innovation.” Precision Driving Academy’s focus on helping immigrants obtain a driver’s license, along with their use of digital technology, has transformed driver education for teens and adults.
I was driven to help immigrants earn a [driver] license in a safe, secure, and compliant manner,” said Val Dimitrov, Precision Driving Academy’s Owner. After his parents immigrated to this country and failed their first attempt to obtain a driver’s license, Val saw an opportunity to help immigrants while also taking a deeper look at the way people were learning how to drive and seeing an industry that was ripe for disruption.
“We provide very visual and helpful video lessons for teens who are already used to consuming bite-sized content on social media,” Val said. By integrating instructional videos directly into its student portal and evaluations, Precision set themselves apart from their competitors and created a more engaging, efficient, and confidence-building learning environment.
“Innovation is really required in this industry,” said JC Dimitrova, Precision Driving Academy’s Operations Director. “We wanted to make our school stand out by deeply integrating and utilizing technology.”
Inspiring Workplace
Sunshine Health Facilities
Sunshine Health Facilities, Inc. is the large business recipient for “Inspiring Workplace.” They were selected for their employee-focused culture and significant professional growth opportunities.
When Sunshine Health introduced its “Employee Rounding Program,” it set out to fix one of the healthcare industry’s most common problems: employee turnover and satisfaction.
“Every single year, we ask all of our employees, all 300 of them, the same four questions,” said Matt Fleming, Sunshine Health’s Chief Operating Officer. “What is working well, who can we recognize, do you have the tools and training you need to do your job, and what could be better?”
And the impact was dramatic. “We took our turnover from over 60% to around 20%,” Matt said. “We really hardwired that care and attention to our employees into our culture, and the results have been dramatic.”
Sunshine Health recently created the peer-driven Sunshine Club, which provides its employees with financial support for school supplies, holidays, and emergencies. Their comprehensive professional development initiatives, including scholarships totaling $25,000 annually, tuition forgiveness of up to $10,000, and specialized in-house training, underscore their commitment to their employee’s career advancement within the organization.
“My personal mission,” Matt said, “Is to create a place where people want to come to work every single day. That, to me, is the definition of a good leader.”
Spokane Sunscreen
Spokane Sunscreen is the small business recipient for “Inspiring Workplace.” Spokane Sunscreen stood out for providing comprehensive, fully funded health coverage—including dental and vision.
“It made a huge difference to provide healthcare for our employees,” said Rick Johnson, Spokane Sunscreen’s Owner. “It has really boosted morale. They’ve told us it [offering healthcare] makes them feel cared for, which they are, so it’s really great to hear that from our team.”
“Some people don’t want to go to the doctor because of the bill they’re going to get,” added Megan Johnson, Spokane Sunscreen’s Manager and Rick’s daughter. “This allows our employees to get the preventative care and coverage they need instead of putting it off until a potentially bigger issue arises.”
Spokane Sunscreen continuously wins national awards for its services. This is made possible by prioritizing and investing in national training opportunities, which helps their team members expand their skills and knowledge of the newest products coming to market.
Known internally as “Screenies,” the employees of Spokane Sunscreen are more than that. “Other than being a family-owned business, we treat our employees like family and really prioritize a work-life balance,” Megan said. Spokane Sunscreen offers paid vacation, generous sick leave, and personalized support during important life events.
By genuinely prioritizing employees’ well-being and professional growth, Spokane Sunscreen sets a meaningful example for small businesses in our region as an Inspiring Workplace.
