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Tate Boys Tire and Service was named the 2019 Business of the Year during the 115th Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce Gala Tuesday night at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Craig Tate received the award and remembered what he learned from his father, Bob Tate, who started Tate Boys Tire & Service in 1988. They are now the second largest independent tire dealer in Oklahoma.

Craig Tate said his father taught him that there are three important relationships.

The first relationship is the relationship they have with their customers. Their customers, he said, are the lifeblood of the business. Employees/teammates follow with the third point being community. He said the communities that support you have to have your support too. He said this is the way they conduct their business in Bartlesville, Tulsa, Owasso and beyond in Georgia (i.e. Atlanta and Augusta).

Receiving the Tom Shoemake Award was Tyler Vaclaw. He  said it does not matter if our roots run deep or they are just getting planted in the community; there is love for the City of Bartlesville and its services, and he is proud to be part of the community.

Other winners include: Matt Spence with State Farm Insurance (Rising Star Award), Dan Droege (Jim Gillie Outstanding Citizen Award), Washington County Care Foundation’s Executive Director Sherry Packliff (Business Woman of the Year) and Lajuana Ducan with Washington County Farm Bureau (Jake Bartles Award).

ABB was awarded the Frank Phillips Award while PDG+creative won the Small Business of the Year Award. The Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce Staff won the Spirit of the Chamber Award for their great efforts to put on Christmas in the Ville.