Business leaders, nonprofits honored at annual EDC gala
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Forks entities recognized
By Paula Hunt
Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — Laurie Szczepczynski received the Olympic Leader Award at the Clallam Economic Development Council’s annual gala at Field Arts & Events Hall, where state Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti delivered the keynote address.
Szczepczynski, a longtime banking professional and community volunteer, was recognized Friday night for decades of leadership in local businesses and civic organizations. In accepting the award, she said leadership begins with helping others.
“My most important responsibility is to find those people who have a heart for service and bring them together as a team to provide the best client experience we can,” said Szczepczynski, a senior vice president and relationship manager at Sound Community Bank.
She said her outlook on business and community involvement was shaped by watching her parents run Bay Variety in downtown Port Angeles.
“I was raised in an environment where serving others is what you do to be successful,” she said.
Businessman Jim Haguewood and Katharine Frazier, grants and government affairs manager at the Port of Port Angeles, also were nominated for the Olympic Leader Award.
Forks Outfitters received the Business of the Year award. The family-owned operation includes a supermarket, hardware store and departments selling sporting goods, clothing and shoes. It caters to both West End residents and visitors traveling through the North Olympic Peninsula.
As he accepted the award, owner Bruce Paul said the business began when his grandfather and great-grandfather sold their dairy in Port Orchard and purchased the store.
“Forks Outfitters started with my family in 1952,” Paul said, adding that the business is now entering its fifth generation.
The other Business of the Year nominees were Lux Built and Angeles Rentals.
The Food Banks of Clallam County — a collective nomination representing food banks in Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks — received the Nonprofit of the Year award.
Port Angeles Food Bank Executive Director Emily Dexter, who accepted the award on behalf of the organizations, singled out the hard work of generous supporters.
“Every day we see neighbors helping neighbors, through volunteers, donors, farmers, grocers and community partners,” Dexter said. “This recognition really goes out to them.”
She said the three food banks collectively served about 17,000 households in Clallam County in 2025.
“The long-term solution to hunger is a strong local economy and jobs that allow families to thrive,” Dexter said.
The Port Angeles Lions Club and Peninsula Behavioral Health also were nominees for the award.
In her remarks, Colleen McAleer, executive director of the Clallam EDC, said expanding local job opportunities is essential to the county’s long-term stability.
“If we want strong health care systems, well-maintained infrastructure, reliable public safety, great restaurants and vibrant cultural institutions, we must ensure that younger generations can find meaningful work here at home,” McAleer said.
In his keynote address, Pellicciotti said communities must prepare for economic uncertainty through long-term planning and strategic investment.
“The ability to best insulate ourselves from a lot of these national and international challenges we’re facing is best done through financial strength,” he said.
