Bill Kenney

For many, service is a part of their business.

Giving back to the community just makes good business sense. Even with that state of mind, many take that interest to a new degree and work hard to support their community whenever an opportunity arises. That is the kind of attitude that earns notice. This Thursday, the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce will recognize such individuals and businesses during the 18th Annual Business Awards Dinner. Among those being recognized are: Sylvia Lopez for Ambassador of the Year; Maker Faire for the Special Mayor's Award; former San Mateo mayors John Lee and Jim Chalmers for the Frances Bohannon Nelson Legacy Award; Kaiser Permanente as large business; Mollie Stone's Market for medium business; All American Self Storage for small business; Dennis Berkowitz of Vault 164 for Good Neighbor; and San Mateo Credit Union for Community.

Bill Kenney, owner of All American Self Storage, is among those on the list. For the 77-year-old, service is just a part of what one should do.

His San Mateo offices have many framed photos and documents all with a story. The San Mateo native who went to Baywood Elementary, St. Matthew Catholic School and then Serra. He started as a lawyer, then found an interest in real estate development and began opening storage facilities in 1982, starting with All American Storage.

For Kenney, it's more about family than anything else. He and wife Sue, who recently celebrated 50 years of marriage, have three children and three grandchildren. As a general rule, he sees them regularly. Since doing business in town, Kenney's list of organizations has grown impressively long to include more than 20 organizations and a two-term stint on the San Mateo City Elementary School District board in the '70s. While his name and work is tied to these many organizations, his focus is definitely more on family. Old pictures of family adorn the walls while his computer desktop features a photo of himself and Sue traveling