Chamber of Commerce presents 34th Annual 'Toast to the Stars'

Newton – Two Sussex County icons, Reverend Ernest M. Kosa and Charles L. Tice, are being honored posthumously with Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce at its annual Toast to the Stars Awards dinner being held at Perona Farms on Thursday, March 28, 2019.
Kosa, an Army Chaplain who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars, became the mental health, drug and alcohol administrator for Sussex County for 20 years and was actively involved with many local agencies including Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice, the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show/N.J. State Fair, and the Newton Medical Center Foundation. The County Building at the Fair is named after him.
Tice was very active in the formation of Sussex County Community College, often traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby on behalf of the college and also serving on its Board of Trustees. He was known and frequently honored throughout the county and especially in Newton, for his numerous philanthropic efforts. The Charles L. Tice Heart Center for Diagnostic Services at Newton Medical Center is named after him.
The Chamber released the list of honorees and nominees for the annual awards program which celebrates outstanding local community members, businesses, and organizations. Winners will be announced at the event and all nominees will also be recognized. The Grace Financial Group (Sparta), Knoll Properties (Sparta) and Thorlabs (Newton) are the Premier Sponsors of the event.
“Part of the chamber’s role is to support and celebrate a vibrant business community,” said Tammie Horsfield, Chamber President. “The annual Toast to the Stars Awards Dinner, now in its 34th year, is the chamber event that gives everyone the chance to pause and celebrate the many successes we have in our private sector and in our nonprofit community.”
Award categories include: Business Innovation; Business Person of the Year; Chamber Champion; Customer Service; Entrepreneur of the Year; Healthy Living; David C. Herzenberg; Lifetime Achievement; Non-Profit Organization of the Year; Outstanding Community Event of the Year; Quality in Business; Quality in Living; Rising Star; and Workplace of the Year.
A full description of each award can be found at www.sussexcountychamber.org,
Additional event sponsors include: Farmside Landscape & Design, Inc.; JCP&L, a First Energy Company; Newton Medical Center – Atlantic Health System; Selective Insurance Company of America; and NFP P&C/van den Heuvel & Fountain, Inc.
Tickets to the Toast to the Stars Awards Dinner may be purchased by calling the Chamber office at 973-579-1811. More information about the event is available at www.sussexcountychamber.org.