By: Gena Johnson | West Bloomfield Beacon | Published July 19, 2025
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The Greater West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce will recognize individuals making a difference in their community at an upcoming award ceremony.
The 17th annual Key to the Township Awards will begin at 8:30 a.m. July 30 at Wabeek Country Club. The awards recognize individuals or groups that live, work or play in the greater West Bloomfield area and that have made a positive impact on the community, according to Suzanne Levine, the chamber’s executive director.
This year, there are five Community Excellence Awards. The recipients include:
• Joe Barbat, founder and CEO of Prime Concepts Detroit, receiving the Business Person of the Year Award.
• Shawn St. Andre, with Community Financial Credit Union in West Bloomfield, receiving the Spirit of Community Award.
• Ahmad M. Yasin, with Skin4U Med Spa, receiving the Health and Wellness Award.
• Shanna Johnson, regional president of the West Bloomfield Henry Ford Hospital, receiving the Leadership Award.
• Eava Sokana, a marketing strategist, content creator and brand builder receiving the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“These people are very embedded in our community, and we haven’t honored them before,” Levine said. “So, there is a great interest in making sure that we recognize them for everything they do to make sure our community thrives.”
St. Andre, who has been with Community Financial Credit Union in West Bloomfield since November, has spent a decade working in the financial industry. He has worked with some of the larger banks and said that he was humbled to be selected for the award.
In moving from a larger bank to a credit union, St. Andre said, “I really wanted to go small so I could think bigger for the people around me. … I was looking for a place in my career where I could exhaust myself doing work for my community.”
He and his team have funded STEM lab kits for area schools, partnered with Haven Homes to help those experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault, and promoted art programs for youth in marginalized communities.
“Big grand gestures are really, really nice, but the small consistent things are what actually build people up on a daily basis and help the community be a better place,” St. Andre said.
He once helped a woman who lost her home, had poor credit and had high credit card debt. It started when a real estate agent came to her home and offered to buy it. She sold her home but couldn’t find a new one to purchase. As a result, her family had to rent in the interim, which cost more than her original house. The rental was smaller than their previous home and most of her belongings were put in storage, which was another monthly expense. She exhausted her savings and racked up credit card debt and was no longer eligible to buy a home.
St. Andre’s team reorganized her debt at a lower interest rate. She was able to save up the necessary funds, and she is now in her dream home.
The chamber also recognizes the Chamber Member of the Year. This year’s recipient is Kay A. Fossett, a multi-unit team leader at Block Advisors. This is an award given by Levine to someone who has assisted her in her role as executive director, helping the chamber to thrive.
“I made the decision based on who has contributed the most to our chamber board,” explained Levine.
Fossett has been a member of the chamber since 2016 and has volunteered as its treasurer for the past four years.
“She always makes sure our finances are in order. She goes over the bookkeeping records every month, even during tax time when I’m sure she’s quite overwhelmed,” Levine said. “I am so appreciative — and so is our chamber — for all her hard work. I wanted to make sure she was recognized and honored for what she does.”
Fossett said she was humbled to be chosen for the award.
“I enjoy what I do. I enjoy being involved with the chamber. I enjoy being the treasurer and reporting on our financials, keeping us all on track,” Fossett said. “It’s second nature to me. … I was very surprised that I was chosen, and I’m very pleased that I was.”
Levine said this year’s awards are unique because of the large number of nominations the chamber received. There were about 30 nominees.
This is the first Key to Township awards since the coronavirus pandemic. The last time the awards were held was in 2019.
Anyone could nominate a person or group that works, plays or lives in the area. They had to give examples of how these people were contributing, Levine explained.
“It was a rigorous process,” she said. “I think it was difficult for the committee to come up with some of the winners. Hopefully, next year when we do this again, we will look at some of the previous nominations for consideration.”
The selection committee is made up of business owners and chamber board members, and their identities are kept private.
“We try to do it in a way that is respectful. There are criteria they go through,” Levine said. “We want this to be totally based on merit and on the amount of the nomination each person gets, so it is fair and equitable.”
Levine said the awards aim to recognize the “unsung heroes” in the community. It started off as a dinner at Shenandoah Country Club and has since evolved into its current breakfast format.
Charlie Langton, anchor and legal analyst at Fox 2 Detroit, will be the master of ceremony at this year’s program. He has hosted before.
“If you’ve ever seen him in person, he is quite dazzling,” Levine said. “We’ve always had a different host, but he seemed to be one who added the most pizazz.”
Levine added: “This is just a fabulous opportunity for the community not to just honor these people, but to network and to meet some of the people they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to connect with.”
For more information, call (248) 626-3636 or westbloomfieldchamber.com.