Cavanagh is Chamber Business Person of the Year

Gloria Cavanagh is named Saipan Chamber of Commerce Business Person of The Year at the gala held Saturday at the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Saipan in Garapan. She is surrounded by former BYOP winners and colleagues from Pacific Island Club Saipan where Cavanagh works as general manager. (BEA CABRERA)

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce named Gloria Cavanagh as its Business Person of the Year at a gala last Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan ballroom in Garapan.

The Chamber also handed out other awards that evening, including the Small Business of the Year award, which went to Island Training Solutions; the Chamber Member of the Year award, which was a tie between IT&E-CNMI and the CNMI Small Business Development Center, the Non-Profit of the Year award, which went to the Tan Siu Lin Foundation; and the Saipan Young Professional of the Year award, which went to Nicole Babauta.

The gala also saw the installation of the Chamber’s new officers and board members officiated by Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho. They are Velma Palacios of IT&E, Alex Sablan of Century Insurance, Michael Johnson of Deloitte & Touche, Marcia Calvo of Calvo’s Insurance, businessman Joe Guerrero, Ty Pauling, Food & Beverage director of Hyatt Regency Saipan; and businessowner Glenn Hunter.

In accepting the Chamber recognition, Cavanagh said the award is special, especially for someone who is not originally from Saipan.

“…I am originally from Guam but I have adopted the CNMI or the CNMI have adopted me. …To me, this awards award means you love me. …Being an outsider and coming here and adopting this culture…I love living on Saipan and so does my husband. This is my home…the CNMI is my family,” she said.

Cavanagh, who is general manager of Pacific Island Club Saipan, is also vice chairperson of the Marianas Visitors Authority, chairwoman of the Hotel Association of the Northern Marianas Islands, treasurer of the Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corp., and secretary of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy committee.

Cavanagh, a veteran in guest relations, whether in tourism or hotel operations moved to Saipan 10 years ago to run the operations of the Marianas Resort and Spa, owned by Kan Pacific Saipan, Ltd.

Gloria Cavanagh

Chamber president Velma Palacios and other Northern Marianas Business Alliance Corp. officers, attested to her commitment and focus on the CNMI’s growth. Palacios jested that Cavanagh was willing to go down on her knees for the CNMI to prove Cavanagh’s drive to put the CNMI in the right direction.

Cavanagh explained that this happened during a meeting with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials in Washington, D.C. “…My colleagues laughed at me when I actually said I would go down on my knees to beg on behalf of the CNMI to make sure that we have the workforce that the we need,” she said.

Cavanagh shared the nomination with The Shack, The Airstream and Go Hydro owner Glenn Hunter and J.C. Tenorio Enterprises vice president Roman “Bo”’ Palacios.

According to Chamber executive director Maxine Laszlo, the nominees and winners were chosen and voted for by all Chamber members. “With the exception of Business Person of the Year, winner was selected by former BPOY winners,” she said.

Last Saturday’s gala theme was “Roaring ’20s” and was hosted by stand-up comic and radio personality Santi “Big Boy” Sablan.

The name of the gala was changed from “Installation Dinner” to “Business Person of the Year Gala” to focus on the BPOY nominees.