6 | APRIL 2018
CEDR AWARDS
COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL
TOP OF THE TRADE
Nine Clatsop County businesses honored at 6th annual award ceremony
PHOTOS BY LUKE WHITTAKER
The annual CEDR Awards ceremony was held at Patriot Hall at Clatsop Community College on March 21.
Entrepreneurship,
small business
By LUKE WHITTAKER
lwhittaker@crbizjournal.com
A
STORIA — Nine Clatsop
County businesses were
honored for their service,
innovation, entrepreneurship and
community impact at the 6th annual
Clatsop Economic Development Re-
sources (CEDR) Awards Ceremony
on Wednesday, March 21, in Patriot
Hall at the Clatsop Community
College.
Denele Sweet, owner of Encore Dance Stu-
dio, won an entrepreneurship award for small
businesses.
Sweet described how, as a new mother and
former competitive dancer, she had received
a phone call about teaching a dance class and
built a business with at least 15 teachers in
Gearhart. She had to overcome some setbacks
along the way, including once being denied a
bank loan.
“I went home and cried to my husband and
said ‘maybe I shouldn’t do this.’ And here I
am now,” Sweet said. “Teamwork makes the
dream work and I couldn’t do this without my
husband — and thank you for letting me dance
with your kids!”
“Thank you for letting me dance with your kids!,” said Denele Sweet, owner of
Encore Dance Studio, after accepting her award for entrepreneurship.