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BEST OF MANTECA
90 plus receive best accolades
AWARDS-BOM2-5-8-11a
Best Loan Officer Kathy King, left, and Best Realtor Glenda Herrera share some laughs after receiving their Best of Manteca awards on Friday night. - photo by HIME ROMERO

Sheri Parra was ecstatic when she learned that her business had been selected as the Best Beauty Salon in Manteca.

The Best Hairstylist award that also came her way was just icing on the cake for the local business owner who has been serving the community for more than 17 years.

“I was in shock when I first heard that we had won,” Parra said after accepting her two awards Friday evening at the ceremony held at a private residence. “I had the biggest smile on my face. It was great because times have been tough for all businesses and it was great to know that our customers care enough to go out of their way to help honor us like this.

“It kind of gives bragging rights for the year. Now people will know that we’re the Best of Manteca.”

Good Day Sacramento’s Alan Sanchez served as the event’s emcee. He introduced each of the winners and presented them with a plaque and a congratulatory envelope – receiving assistance from members of Manteca Youth Focus. Best of Manteca winner Chris Leonard’s photography studio was on hand to take pictures of each of the winners.

According to Manteca Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Linda Abeldt, more than 27,000 individual ballots were cast this year – totaling more than 1,000,000 actual votes for people and businesses within the community. Altogether, more than 90 businesses, individuals and organziations were recognized as being the “Best of Manteca.”

Each year, she said, the number of people voting in Manteca has continued to increase, and the businesses that receive recognition have come to openly embrace and even advertise their selection.

“This is something that is continually growing and it’s great to see so many people getting involved with this and choosing who they think stands out in the local community,” Abeldt said. “I think that the businesses really take advantage of their selection by selling this – putting it on their doors and in their windows to let people know that they have been voted the best.”

While most of the recipients read that they had been selected in the newspaper, some, like State Farm Insurance Agent Jacob Naven, got tipped off by a client that couldn’t wait to share the news with him.

“I got a phone call from a client at about 6 a.m. and she was jumping and down and was so excited that I had won,” he said with a laugh. “It was really nice to hear that. My job is to serve my clients, and I’m glad that they recognize that and I get the chance to receive this award because of it.”