Myrtle Beach Area Chamber and CVB Celebrates Achievements, Recognizes Award Winners During 86th Annual Meeting

(Photo Courtesy of Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce)

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (MBACC) and Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) held its 86th annual meeting on April 10, 2025, at the Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes. The event brought together more than 440 members, partners and community leaders to celebrate a year of progress, including recognizing outstanding achievements in 2024 that improved the community’s quality of life.

The evening spotlighted several standout Chamber and CVB initiatives such as:

• Infrastructure advocacy through championing the Fix Horry Roads campaign, which contributed to the successful voter approval of the RIDE 4 transportation referendum to enhance regional mobility and safety;
• Sustainability efforts by hosting over a dozen Keep Myrtle Beach Beautiful cleanups, securing $17,000 in grant funding for beautification efforts and earning the 2024 Lower Region Group Leadership Award from the S.C. Litter Control Association;
• Accessibility promotions that amplify the region’s efforts to accommodate all individuals through the launch of a children’s book that inspires neurodiverse travel and a new TV series on the Peacock network featuring travelers on the autism spectrum; and
• Reinforcing the area’s reputation as the “World Capital of Golf” by hosting the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic, marking the Grand Strand’s debut on the PGA TOUR’s FedEx Cup schedule.

The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber, representing more than 2,400 businesses and organizations across a broad range of industries — including insurance and healthcare, education and community organizations, financial services, building and environmental services, and hospitality and tourism — surpassed key performance benchmarks in 2024. This included holding a 93 percent member retention rate, adding 350 new members and hosting 281 events focused on professional development.

During the awards ceremony, MBACC honored individuals and organizations throughout the Grand Strand community whose dedication and leadership made a lasting impact in 2024:

• Entrepreneur of the Year: Lisa Lee, The Tasting Room on 9th (award sponsored by Truist)
• Volunteer of the Year: Melissa Fowble, First Reliance Bank
• Ambassador of the Year: Eric Hunt, Myrtle Beach Wedding Officiant (award sponsored by Four Star Plumbing & Air Conditioning)
• Young Professional of the Year: Julia Diem, Vacation Myrtle Beach (award sponsored by TD Bank)
• Small Business of the Year: Carolina Home Exteriors (award sponsored by CLC Worldwide)
• Business of the Year: Crooked Hammock Brewery (award sponsored by OrthoSC)
• Tourism Partner of the Year: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (award sponsored by Best Western Ocean Sands Beach Resort)
• Nonprofit of the Year: YMCA of Coastal Carolina (award sponsored by United Bank)
• Community Impact Award: Santee Cooper (award sponsored by The Soto Sawyer Crosby Group at Merrill Lynch)
• Citizen of the Year: Rob Wilfong, Development Resource Group (award sponsored by A&I Fire & Water Restoration)
• Ashby Ward Pioneer of the Year Award: Jerry Scheer and Mark Cumins (posthumously), Homegrown Hospitality Group (award sponsored by Carolina Cool)
• Brad Dean Chairman’s Award of Excellence: Travis E. Overton (posthumously) (award sponsored by HTC)

Additionally, the Chamber and CVB’s newly appointed President and CEO Matt Pivarnik, IOM, CCE, was in attendance, taking an opportunity to connect with community and industry leaders.

“I’m incredibly honored to join such a vibrant and resilient business community,” Pivarnik said. “The Grand Strand is rich with opportunity, collaboration and heart—and I’m excited to help lead the chamber into its next chapter, focused on enhancing the quality of life for everyone who lives, works and visits here.”

Tracy Conner, who is currently serving as the Chamber’s interim president and CEO, received a standing ovation in recognition of his dedicated leadership and service to the organization over the last 10 months.

Sponsors for the event are A&I Fire & Water Restoration, Best Western Ocean Sands Beach Resort, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Brookgreen Gardens, Carolina Cool, Carolina Home Exteriors, CLC Worldwide, Coastal Carolina University, Coastal Engravers, Four Star Plumbing & Air Conditioning, Golf Tourism Solutions, Horry Georgetown Technical College Foundation Inc., HTC, My Horry News/Waccamaw Publishers, Marriott Resort Myrtle Beach at Grande Dunes, Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts, Ortho SC, Santee Cooper, The Soto Sawyer Crosby Group at Merrill Lynch, The Jackson Companies, TD Bank, Tidelands Health with MUSC Health, Truist, United Bank, Waccamaw Community Foundation, and YMCA of Coastal Carolina.