2022 Business Person of the Year - Denise Baller
The “Businessperson of the Year” is an individual who is recognized as having set a standard of accomplishment in both business and the community. Nominations are from the Chamber’s business members who have made a significant impact on the role of business in the community. The nominee must be a member of the Chamber for at least 18 months. They must be an active member who is always willing to go above and beyond and be a leader that motivates others. They must have a level of community participation by contributing resources in the form of time, talent, or money to our community via projects, clubs, churches, and not-for-profits.
Each year the Chamber Board of Directors receives several nominees for this honor, and the number of candidates is a testament to our Chamber member’s commitment to our community.
This year’s honoree is a very active member of the Webster Community – a mother, wife, business owner, volunteer, and philanthropist. She is a regular attendee at Chamber events, a familiar face at breakfast meetings and involved in a multitude of community activities in leading and supporting roles.
You know her for her upbeat and “happy to help” attitude. She has been dancing into our hearts at the Chamber for nearly a decade.
I am pleased to introduce the Webster Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Businessperson of the Year: Denise Baller from Dancing with Denise.
Denise is the founder and owner of Dancing with Denise, located on Gravel Road in Webster. She and her husband Billy have a hub of businesses on Gravel Road after relocating from Irondequoit.
She is the founder of Leaps of Love, awarding local students with Scholarships for dance lessons, providing a “bright spot” to a family that is experiencing financial or medical hardship. She is also the founder of the Yaya Project that provides holiday gifts and cards to the elderly in nursing homes.
Denise participates in the Adopt a Grandparent project, the Best Buddy organization, the Girl Scouts, the Webster Health & Education Network: Drug Free Community Coalition, Webster Comfort Care, sponsors baseball and softball teams, Toys for Tots, and the Breast Cancer Walk.
She is a host of the Moscow Ballet’s, Great Russian Nutcracker, providing the opportunity for local children to perform with professional dancers in the Nutcracker and she organizes the New Horizons Educational Program through Moscow Ballet for appearances at local elementary schools giving children the opportunity to meet professional dancers and learn about the Moscow Ballet.
Denise’s love of the Caribbean has taken her teaching skills to the St. Johns School of the Arts in the US Virgin Islands providing dance instruction for all children on the island; facilitating a student exchange between St. John and Webster and organizing a hurricane relief service trip to the Virgin Islands for her students and St. John Fisher College students to provide helping hands to residents and businesses who suffered devastating effects of the hurricane.
And you will always see Denise and students marching in our local parades and leading dance and fun during Webster Village BID events such as Family nights and White Christmas.
Denise has hosted Chamber Eat, Drink and Connect events at her studio and is currently serving on the Chamber’s Membership Events & Honors Committee as chair.
We have a plaque for her today that is inscribed with these words: Businessperson of the Year presented by the Webster Chamber of Commerce to Denise Baller in recognition of your outstanding contributions to the Webster Chamber of Commerce and your commitment to the community – 2022.
In addition to the plaque, the Webster Chamber makes a contribution to a charitable organization selected by Denise.
Congratulations to Denise Baller, the Webster Chamber’s 2022 Businessperson of the Year!