BETHLEHEM — The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce will honor three individuals and two organizations at its annual awards celebration on Oct. 26 at the Colonie Country Club:
— Lifetime Achievement awardees: Margaret Barkman, long-time owner of Barkman Farms, and Gregory Turner, owner Burt Anthony Associates;

— Business of the Year: LiveWell Group;

— Community Spirit Award: Bethlehem Central Middle School Parent Teachers Organization; and

— Youth Entrepreneur winner: Brendin Winfield, owner of B.W. Property Care LLC, Class of 2023 Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School.

Barkman recently retired from her decades of ownership of Barkman Farms where she offered seasonal flowers and holiday trees and wreaths as well as customer service and education to the residents, patrons and customers.

“She is a wonderful steward of the land and supporter of the community,” said the chamber in a release announcing the event.

Turner is the president of Burt Anthony & Associates and a long-standing member of the chamber’s board of directors. His independent insurance company was established in 1967; he started working at the firm in 1980 and purchased it in 1996.

The LiveWell Group was formed as The Spinney Group by Rex Ruthman and Edward Feinberg in 1984, and is now operated by the second generation of the Ruthman and Feinberg families: Morgan Ruthman, Samantha Raynor, Ross Feinberg, Alexander Ruthman, and Jason Raynor.

The group “encompasses a platform of brokerage, construction, and management services, and is active in development of residential and renewable energy projects,” the release said. “They continue to build and operate active-adult communities in Bethlehem and other areas and have recently added programs to their ‘55 and better’ community.”

Brendin Winfield, who lives in Bethlehem, started working at Therapeutic Crisis Intervention when he was a 16-year-old student of RCS Central. “With the money he earned, in his junior year of high school, he purchased a truck and started his own lawn-mowing and landscaping business: B.W. Property Care LLC,” the release said. “He also co-owns a power-washing company with his brother. In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors, he participated in school athletics and graduated in 2023.”

The chamber says the  Bethlehem Central Middle School PTO “was very creative in finding activities to continue to engage and support the students and staff at the school” during the pandemic. “The organization is also engaged in assisting families in the district with food insecurity, school supplies, holiday gifts, and every day and emergency needs. The PTO also assists teachers with grants for special programs and experiences for youth, like author visits, special equipment, social events, and more.”

The chamber celebration is open to the public and begins at 5 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.BethlehemChamber.com for $85 per person; $160 per couple; or a corporate table for eight at $650. Sponsorships are also available. Information on sponsoring or attending the event can be found on the Chamber’s website at www.BethlehemChamber.com.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer