Castle Pines Chamber honors Business Person and Community Member of the Year
Business Person of the Year recipient Lisa Storey of Mama Lisa’s Little Italy shared the spotlight with Community Member of the Year Joe Sabia of Pino’s Italian Kitchen. Both were recognized for their contributions to the Castle Pines community.
By Lynne Marsala Basche; photo by Terri Wiebold
On January 18, the Castle Pines Chamber of Commerce held its annual membership luncheon at Seasons 52. As part of the festivities, the organization honored two local business people for their contributions to the community.
Lisa Storey of Mama Lisa’s Little Italy received the Business Person of the Year award for her continued involvement in the community during the past 16 years. Storey’s contributions included participating in community events, hiring local teens, donating money to schools and the library to reward kids who made the honor roll or achieve reading program goals, and for promoting positivity by turning a negative Yelp review into a catalyst for donating to The Connection’s Chalk It Up 4 Charity event.
Pino’s Italian Kitchen owner Joe Sabia received Community Member of the Year recognition for his focus on integrating his family restaurant into the Castle Pines community and having his business become a neighborhood gathering place, even after only one year in business in Castle Pines. Sabia regularly hosted welcome breakfasts and networking events for the chamber, raised more than $13,000 for first responders during his September 11 fundraiser, and offered a teen in need a job, as well as invited him to dinner. Sabia told staff that a special guest was dining with them and extended hospitality that showcased his commitment to others.
Both Storey and Sabia were nominated for the Chamber awards by multiple people and for both categories, which says quite a bit about their involvement in Castle Pines.
