The Big Night Out, presented by Mid Coast Parkview Health, was held on Friday, Jan. 20 at the SMCC Midcoast Campus on Brunswick Landing. More than 100 citizens and business leaders were on hand to celebrate the past year of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber as this was its Annual Meeting and Member Expo.

It was a festive atmosphere with attendees eagerly indulging in the Who Dunn It clue hunt game, enjoying an astounding food display from Simply Susie’s catering and drinks from Cook’s Lobster & Ale House.

But the highlight of the evening was clearly the awards, in which nine business leaders and citizens were honored for their contributions to the communities served by the chamber. For the past few weeks, and wrapping up next Wednesday, we are profiling the award winners in our pages here, to help share their stories.

This week we are highlighting Don Spann’s well-earned Harry C. Crooker Lifetime Achievement Award and Wayfair’s Large Business of the Year award.

Don Spann is a veteran, having spent time with the U.S. Navy, both at sea in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, and then as a recruiter in Jacksonville, Florida. He moved to Maine in 1983 and began working at Bath Iron Works, while also participating with the Navy Reserve Shipyard Unit for four additional years.

Don would spend in all 22 years at BIW, getting up to the level of senior management before moving onto his next adventure. Along with his wife Sue, they opened RE/MAX Riverside Real Estate Company in 2002. Don got his real estate license in 2003 and then became a fulltime licensed commercial Realtor in 2005.

Since then Don has helped businesses find the best commercial spaces for their needs while the company helps residential customers find the homes that are right for them.

Beyond work though is where Don shines too, as he has held numerous positions within the town of Topsham and through numerous nonprofit organizations in the region. Just a few organizations he has been a part of include: Topsham Development Inc., Topsham Planning Board, Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber, St. John’s Boosters, St. John’s school board, United Way of Mid-Maine, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Rotary International, Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army.

That just scratches the surface of his service as he remains an advocate for our region, and a key figure in dozens of local projects. Don continues to be a mentor for many new and existing business leaders and as his opinions and depth of experience make planning and executing any event that much better.

In short, he is someone our region relies on, and for all that he has given to our communities, the chamber was proud to present him with the 2016 Harry C. Crooker Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wayfair was also honored for their immediate impact on the Brunswick region as they expanded here in 2016. Wayfair is the international e-commerce site renowned for its selection of home goods, that just opened a facility on Brunswick Landing.

Wayfair began in the early 2000s when a couple of Cornell University friends took an entrepreneurs class and came up with an early concept that eventually became this company.

So what is Wayfair?

It’s more than 7 million products from more than 7,000 suppliers, and a worldwide distribution network. It is a new way to shop from home, for your home.

In 2015, Wayfair generated $2.25 billion in net revenues, it has more than 5,000 employees and is headquartered out of Boston. They have been awarded the 2016 Internet Retailer of the Year award, a Hot 100 award for being a top internet innovator and most importantly numerous customer service and Best Place to Work Awards, including one from the Boston Business Journal in 2016 and another one from the Boston Globe in 2016.

The workplace culture is tangible. It’s not a policy that lives only in a handbook, or “jeans on Friday,” or monthly pizza parties — it is so much more than that. It starts with the layout and atmosphere with deluxe coffee machines, flexible hours, state-of-the-art IT networks, and open office spaces.

It’s the camaraderie that is fostered throughout every level of the company. It’s the positivity and the energy of the youth culture that inhabits the building (even for those employees who would not consider themselves to be youth). It is entirely different from any other workspace, not just in our region, but across the state.

Wayfair selecting to expand into Maine shows that a company who leads the nation in a number of best practice categories, sees the potential in our region and with the employees of our state. Make no mistake, every chamber of commerce in the country would eagerly welcome a company like Wayfair.

But with dozens of other locations to choose from, Wayfair has chosen to continue growing in our corner of the world because of the quality of life and the quality of employees they can find here.

For their impact on the business culture, for their support of local employees and for the prospects of the new employees they will bring to the Midcoast, SMMC was proud to honor Wayfair with the 2016 Large Business of the Year.

Look for profiles on the Chairman’s Award recipient, the Director’s Award recipient and the Young Professional of the Year next week.