The Lancaster by the Bay Chamber of Commerce has announced its 2026 annual award recipients, honoring individuals whose leadership and service have strengthened the Lancaster community. The awards will be presented at the Chamber’s annual dinner at Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club, an event that is officially sold out. Ninety-three year old Carroll Lee Ashburn will receive the Dennis Burchill Lifetime Achievement Award for decades of service in sports, broadcasting, community events and local history preservation across the Northern Neck. Rich and Gale Ferraro have been named Volunteers of the Year for their leadership and dedication to numerous civic and nonprofit efforts. Katie Krop will receive the Business Person of the Year award for her leadership of Good Luck Cellars, continued growth of the estate winery, and strong support of regional nonprofit and community initiatives.
ed@edhisted.com
Ed launched his radio career in 1975 and has spent more than five decades in the broadcasting industry. During that time, he has served in a wide range of roles including Air Personality, News Director, Sales Manager, Operations Manager, and General Manager at numerous radio stations in various markets across the country. Beyond on-air and management responsibilities, Ed has also worked extensively on the technical side of broadcasting. His background includes RF engineering and information technology, with particular experience configuring digital automation systems and remote voice-tracking platforms used by stations across the country. Ed was also among a select group of industry professionals invited by Google to its California headquarters following the company’s acquisition of Scott Studios. He was one of just 12 broadcasters nationwide chosen to participate in discussions and provide input during the design and rollout of Google’s digital broadcast automation platform. Although the majority of Ed’s career—spanning roughly four decades—was rooted in music radio, he transitioned into news and information programming in 2012. He says the move into spoken-word broadcasting was a natural evolution after decades of experience in multiple areas of the industry.