Bates McGrath, Petrella Honored at Medford Chamber Banquet

87th annual banquet held at Stoneham's Montvale Plaza.

Local business leaders were honored at Thursday night's 87th annual Medford Chamber of Commerce banquet at Montvale Plaza in Stoneham. Andrea Bates McGrath, the president of Bates Insurance Agency, was honored as the 2013 Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. Peter Petrella, a principal in McCracken, Cooper & Petrella, was given the honor of the Executive Director's Award by the chamber. Bates McGrath and Petrella were awarded Keys to the City of Medford by Mayor Michael McGlynn.  McGlynn also thanked Charlotte Scuderi of ERA Andrew Realty for her service as president of the chamber with a Key to the City. New president John Costas of Medford Electronics was also introduced.

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Medford Chamber Names Bates McGrath Citizen of the Year

Local insurance agency president is first-ever second-generation recipient.

For Andrea Bates McGrath, it's a case of "like father, like daughter" for which she could not be more proud. The Medford Chamber of Commerce announced late last week McGrath, the president of Bates Insurance Agency on High Street, had been selected as the 2013 Chamber Citizen of the Year. McGrath, a 1984 graduate of Medford High School, is a second-generation recipient of the honor. Her late father, Dan Bates, was given the honor in 1986, according to Chamber Executive Director Jodie Coyne. Coyne said McGrath is the first second-generation recipient of the honor since its inception in 1971. McGrath said getting the share the honor with her father is "absolutely phenomenal for me." McGrath graduated from Suffolk University in 1988 and went …

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When Are Nominations for Chamber Citizen of the Year Open?

Our latest edition of "You Ask...Patch Answers."

Yesterday the Medford Chamber of Commerce sent along information regarding nominations for the 2013 Chamber Citizen of the Year. Nominations are open now through 12 p.m. on Feb. 19. The nomination form can be accessed in the PDF to the right. Jodie Coyne, the chamber's executive director, said in an e-mail to Patch that "nominations are open to anyone who would like to nominate someone in the community they feel would qualify for the prestige position." Coyne said the chamber and past recipients of the honor choose the Citizen of the Year based on the nominations. Rules regarding nominations are availble on the nomination form.

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