Christopher Richards of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank was welcomed as the new chair of the Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber of Commerce, Lynn Laporte of Onset’s Ebb & Flow Wellness was honored as “ambassador of the year,” and leopard pajamas got a bit part at the regional business group’s Jan. 25 annual meeting.

Members of the Canal Region Chamber – serving Wareham, Bourne and Sandwich – gathered at the Rosebrook Event Center to applaud outstanding members, ratify changes in leadership and network over breakfast.

Incoming President Richards, senior vice president at Cape Cod Five, expressed enthusiasm for his new role and asked the membership to tell officers “how to change, to grow our base.”

LaPorte, an esthetician at Ebb & Flow, was honored for her work with the Chamber in reaching out to members and prospective members of behalf of the Chamber during the past year.

The bulk of the speaking time at the meeting was devoted to honoring ServPro of Upper Cape Cod & The Islands and owners Bill and Beth Russell as Business of the Year. The Russells launched ServPro of Upper Cape and the Islands, a franchise business focusing on property cleanup in the wake of natural or man-made disasters, in 2008 after spending decades in the construction business.

In accepting the award, Beth Russell quoted Andrew Carnegie, 19^th century industrialist and philanthropist, on the value of teamwork – and took the time to personally thank each member of the company’s leadership team.

The leopard pajamas? The Chamber has first-hand knowledge of ServPro’s fast and effective response. When a deluge flooded the business group’s Buzzards Bay offices and President and CEO Marie Oliva learned of the problem late at night – she hurried to the office herself and, clad in leopard pajamas, met the ServPro representatives to begin the cleanup process.