The Tracy Chamber of Commerce will announce at a Friday press conference the winners of its annual Community Awards.

Award winners for top ambassador, business, entrepreneur, professional, male and female citizen and organization of the year will be named at 11 a.m. on Friday at the Chamber of Commerce Office, 223 E. 10th St. and the public is welcome to attend the ceremony.

These Tracy citizens and organizations will be formally honored at the 2010 Winter Gala, Feb. 12, at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts.

Chamber spokeswoman Sofia Venezuela said nominations for the awards were taken in November and decided by a gala nomination committee of past award recipients and chamber members.

She said the chamber received about 30 nominations this year, but they also look back in the years past to see if there’s anyone else who deserves recognition. Once someone wins an award in a category, Venezuela said, they cannot win in that category again.

Among last year’s award winners were Larry Hite, owner of Tracy Home Inspections, as entrepreneur of the year, Denise Wakefield, director of facilities for the Tracy Unified School District, as professional of the year and Greg Bidlack and Nancy Cole as the citizens of the year.

Contact a Tracy Press reporter or editor at 835-3030 or tpnews@tracypress.com.