Newtown Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club of Newtown will host a joint networking event Monday, February 16, from 6 to 8 pm, at Newtown Country Club, 2 Country Club Road. Along with fostering relationships between both groups, the purpose of the meeting is to kick off the 11th Annual Newtown Business of the Year recognition program.

The Chamber and Rotary will be celebrating the achievements of four local companies that have consistently displayed excellence in serving their customers and supporting their community. Nominations will be drawn by soliciting input from the community.

The four companies with the most votes in each category will be honored as Business of the Year and will be given a few minutes to tell their story at the awards presentation on March 23. The four categories are New Business, Longevity, Philanthropy, and Overall Achievement.

The campaign will run for five weeks as follows:

*Nominations: The Newtown community is invited to nominate their favorite businesses in each of four categories by visiting newtown-ct.com. Nominations will be open through Saturday, February 28.

All nominated companies must be actively operating in Newtown to be eligible. Self-nominations are acceptable, however, in the spirit of good competition, the honorees of the 2014 Business of the Year Awards are not eligible to be nominated this year. Additional criteria for each category are available on the nomination form.

*Voting: Once the nomination portion is completed, a list of all eligible nominated companies in each category will be presented.

The community is invited to vote for the business they feel is most deserving of each honor. Voting will open March 1 and will continue through March 20. A link to vote will be posted on both the Newtown Chamber and Newtown Rotary websites. Note that each e-mail address can only vote one time.

*Awards Presentation: While all nominees will be given honorable mention, the top three nominees in each category will be highlighted at the awards dinner and ceremony on March 23 at Newtown Country Club, where one company in each category will be honored as Business of the Year.

“We are excited to honor companies that consistently support and serve our community. It is through their example of perseverance and leadership our town continues to thrive,” says Tim Haas, president of Chamber of Commerce of Newtown.

This kickoff event is open to Chamber and Rotary members and anyone interested in learning more about these groups. An array of hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar is available.

Cost to attend is $17, and online registration is requested through the Chamber website (newtown-ct.com).