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New Director Named
OCEAN CITY – The Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce their new membership director, Jessica Iacona. She will direct the membership recruitment and retention efforts and will be responsible for developing opportunities that increase the resources available to both the membership and chamber operating structure.
Jessica Iacona
Iacona has served the local community through business and economic development consulting for the past five years. During that time, she has built a strong network within the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland and has gained an in-depth view of the challenges and opportunities facing local organizations.
Previously, Iacona was the project management specialist for the Business, Economic, and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) of the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University. BEACON is the premier business and economic research unit of the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University. She has extensive experience as a project manager and specializes in data modeling using KPI Business Intelligence Dashboards.
She holds a Master of Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Economic and Information Systems from the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University. Iacona is a member of the Maryland Economic Development Association and a graduate of the Transformational Community Leadership Class of 2019. She also served on the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Maryland Research Advisory Committee for United Way in 2020.
She will begin her role June 1.
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School Donations
SALISBURY – Salisbury-based Cato Gas & Oil and ExxonMobil have partnered together to provide $500 checks to 15 area schools to support their S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs.
Cato Gas & Oil Co., owner of Goose Creek Convenience stores, and ExxonMobil together donate to local S.T.E.M. programs annually to ensure that children interested in science, technology, engineering and math have the support they need to learn and excel.
“As a company, Cato Gas & Oil doesn’t just want to work in our communities, we want to be part of our communities,” said Cato Gas & Oil Co. President Michael G. Abercrombie, Jr. “That’s what this is all about. Our kids are our industry’s future scientists, mathematicians and engineers, and we’re proud to help them explore their interests and career dreams in any way we can.”
Over the past 12 years, Cato Gas & Oil and ExxonMobil have partnered together to provide over $84,000 to public schools in the communities where Cato operates.
These latest donations will support S.T.E.M. programs at the following schools: Berlin Intermediate School, Crisfield High School and Academy, Kiptopeke Elementary School, North Salisbury Elementary School, Pemberton Elementary School, Parkside High School, Delmar Elementary School, James M. Bennett High School, N. Caroline High School, Salisbury Christian School, Mardela Middle and High School, Lake Forest High School, Phoebus High School, Selbyville Middle School and Worcester Preparatory School.
“We’re so thankful for this support from Cato Gas & Oil Co.,” said Kirby Bryson, principal of Delmar Elementary School. “It helps ensure that our kids have the resources they need to learn and excel in the technology and science of tomorrow. Thank you on behalf of everyone at our school.”
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Product Wins Award
BERLIN – George’s Beverage Company™️ is pleased to announce Old Bay® Vodka was awarded the Double Gold Medal in the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Double Gold Medal is awarded to entries that receive Gold Medal ratings from all 34 members of the judging panel who are well-established spirits industry experts.
“We launched Old Bay® Vodka last month after working for three years to create a great tasting spirit with the quintessential yet subtle flavors of Old Bay,” said Greg David, co-owner, George’s Beverage Company™️. “The goal was to make a great tasting and balanced flavored vodka that is both drink and food recipe driven. Now, less than one month later, to receive the highest award in the most prestigious competition on an international level, is validation of the teams’ hard work and passion to bring a great spirit to life to share with the public. The perfect partnership between George’s Beverage Company™️, Old Bay®, a brand of McCormick & Company, Inc., and McClintock Distilling – all Maryland-based, paved the way to this success.”
Old Bay® Vodka went through four days of highly controlled blind tastings by an experienced panel of judges that taste each spirit to decide if it’s medal worthy. The judges do not receive any information on the producers or price points to ensure each spirit is judged fairly, equally and without bias.
The second round of judging, called the Medal Round, allows for judging each entry on its own merit. While tasting, judges evaluate each product on an individual basis – not compared to other entries in the flight. During this stage, judges determine which entries are worthy of a gold, silver or bronze medal. Entries that receive a gold medal from all the judges on the panel earn a Double Gold Medal.
Crafted at McClintock Distilling in Frederick, Md., Old Bay® Vodka is all natural, made from corn and six times distilled for maximum purity and smoothness. The vodka perfectly highlights the quintessential flavor of the iconic Old Bay® spice blend.
“The idea to collaborate to craft Old Bay® Vodka made perfect sense from the start,” said David. “We already had national distribution with top liquor distributors and a sustainable supply chain. The next step was identifying a local craft distillery that we could trust and that shared the same commitment to quality, craftmanship and sustainability, we found all this in McClintock Distilling.”
“Old Bay® has been a fan-favorite for over 75 years in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond,” said Jill Pratt, chief marketing excellence officer, McCormick. “Our fans are loyal and passionate when it comes to all things Old Bay®. We’re thrilled to work with George’s to bring the one-of-a-kind flavor of Old Bay® to fans in entirely new, exciting, and innovative ways.”
McClintock Distilling, named best craft vodka distillery in the country by USA Today, is a craft distillery located in Frederick, Md. The company mirrors the George’s Beverage Company™️ values as a locally sourced business with a focus on product quality, environmental impact, and community betterment. When approached about the opportunity to craft the first Old Bay® Vodka, the McClintock team said, “absolutely” and built out a dedicated state of the art facility for production.
Bringing together expertise in flavor, spirits, and craft distilling, Old Bay® Vodka combines the taste of the region with the smooth finish that’s easy to drink on or off the rocks or as a unique ingredient upgrade for classic cocktails and alcohol-infused recipes alike. Old Bay® Vodka is seventy proof, or 35% ABV. It is distributed by Breakthru Beverage MD and Breakthru Beverage DE.