Queen Creek's chamber of commerce named its 2026 award winners at the 17th annual Business Awards Dinner, held at Encanterra Country Club on Sept. 24. Salt River Project presented the evening, which honored a volunteer, a teacher and two companies.
Ron Valerio was named Volunteer of the Year. Valerio leads the local Rotary Club as its president and works with Unison Mortgage, and the chamber credited him with bringing people together. He also heads the yearly Queen Creek Run for Resilience, an event that has drawn attention to teen mental health and pointed families toward support.
Educator of the Year went to Taryn Whelan, who teaches math at Queen Creek High School. The chamber cited her work helping students gain confidence and meet their academic goals, along with her mentoring of fellow teachers and her presence at student events.
ReliaBookkeeping, founded by Leah Johnson, took the Small Business of the Year honor. The firm handles bookkeeping, payroll, taxes and budgeting for small businesses and individuals. Johnson accepted the award alongside chamber President and CEO Chris Clark and Councilman Jeff Brown.
The Business of the Year award went to Pecan Lake Entertainment, a family attraction whose offerings include go-karts, laser tag, escape rooms, an arcade, a ropes course and a 21-hole putting course, plus dining and space for events.
