30th Annual GGCC Public Safety Awards Breakfast Ceremony Recognizes 58 Local Heroes in the Upcounty

June 27, 2024

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) hosted its 30th Annual Public Safety Awards Breakfast this morning at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. The event honored 58 men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect the public safety in the Upcounty. Public safety personnel from several jurisdictions were recognized. Each received an official Certificate of Congratulations from the Montgomery County Council, signed by Council President Andrew Friedson, a Senate of Maryland Citation from State Senator Cheryl Kagan (D17), a Maryland General Assembly Proclamation from Senator Brian Feldman (D15) and the D15 Delegation, and a Certificate of Special Recognition from US Senator Benjamin Cardin. Each honoree also received a small gift, donated by our Chamber members.

Highlights of the program included a celebration of the career of retiring Montgomery County Chief of Police Marcus Jones, led by Captain Eric Stancliff, Commander of the 6^th District; and the awarding of the Medal of Valor to Sergeant Patrick Kepp, MCPD Traffic Division, and awarding of Citations for Bravery, Distinguished Service Citations, and Meritorious Service Citations to the many personnel from various agencies involved in the response to the incident on I270 in October 2023 that saved Sgt. Kepp’s life and ultimately resulted in the apprehension of the suspect that caused the near-fatal incident.

Who: Full list of honorees included below

Elected officials in attendance included

MD State Assembly

• State Senator Cheryl Kagan – District 17
• State Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr – District 17
• State Delegate Linda Foley – District 15
• State Delegate Greg Wims – District 39

Montgomery County Council

• Marilyn Balcombe – District 2
• Sidney Katz – District 3
• Dawn Luedtke – District 7
• Gabe Albornoz – At Large

City of Gaithersburg

• Mayor Jud Ashman
• Council Vice President Jim McNulty
• Council Member Lisa Henderson

And representatives of our Elected Leaders

• Representing US Senator Ben Cardin, Kevin Mack
• Representing County Executive Marc Elrich, Dr. Earl Stoddard
• From the Upcounty Regional Services Center, Director Ruben Rosario

Agencies and organizations represented for honor

• MD State Police
• Montgomery County Police Department – 5th District, 6th District, 1st District, Traffic Division
• Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
• Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service
• Gaithersburg Police Department
• Asbury Methodist Village

Sponsors of the event included

• 17-yr Gold Title Sponsor – Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling
• Silver Sponsor – M&T Bank
• Bronze Sponsors – Gaithersburg CPAs, Holy Cross Health, Hughes Network Systems, Qiagen, Supporting Strategies
• A full list of event sponsors can be found here.

In addition to awards presentations, remarks were provided by

• Mayor Jud Ashman, City of Gaithersburg
• Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones
• Brock Merwin, Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling
• Heather Madsion (Peterson Companies), Chair, GGCC Board of Directors
• Michele Potter (Asbury Methodist Village, Vice Chair for Member Programs, GGCC Board of Directors
• Steve Barber, Chair-Elect of the GGCC Board of Directors, representing the GGCC Community Foundation Board of Directors to present a donation from Chamber members to Shop with a Cop programs.
• Paula Ross, GGCC President & CEO

Photos/Reel: Official event photos will be available from Hilary Schwab Photography in the coming days, and available for use from the Chamber’s facebook page. Included here are amateur photos available for publication today. A short reel may be viewed and shared from our IG here or you can also find us on tiktok at @GGCCtiktok.

About the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce

For 75 years, the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce has been the leading advocate for businesses along the upper I270 corridor in Montgomery County, commonly called the “Upcounty.” We specifically serve the business communities in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg, and Damascus; our membership currently includes approximately 470 members in dozens of industries. Our members range in size from volunteer-run nonprofits with zero employees, to solopreneurs, to businesses with thousands of employees in the Upcounty. We are committed to being a voice for all businesses in the Upcounty, resulting in a business-friendly environment and high quality of life in our community. www.ggchamber.org.

Full List of Honorees

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