Superior Businesses Honored at the 2019 Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Awards

Superior businesses honored at the 2019 Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Awards

Three outstanding area businesses and two outstanding business professionals were recognized at the Chamber Annual Meeting and Chamber Business Awards presented by Super One Foods, Thursday, March 7 in the Yellowjacket Union on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus.

A crowd of more than 200 community members, business leaders, local and state officials including Wisconsin State Senator Janet Bewley and Wisconsin Representative Nick Milroy and Mayor Jim Paine gathered to honor U-Haul Moving and Storage of Superior, selected to win the New Business of the Year Award; American Family Insurance – Nick Korhonen Agency, winner of the Outstanding Young Business Award; St. Luke’s Mariner Medical Clinic, selected to win the Community Cornerstone Award; and Jeff Cushman of Downs Funeral Home, winner of the Outstanding Young Professional Award. The pool of nominees was made up of more than 20 local organizations. One more award for Chamber Ambassador of the Year was presented to Julie Urban of Gavilon grain for her dedication, positivity, and hard work on behalf of the Chamber organization.

An independent panel of judges selected the winners for the New Business of the Year, Outstanding Young Business, Community Cornerstone, and Outstanding Young Professional awards based on nominations made by community members and business leaders. More information on each awards category:

New Business of the Year Award
To be eligible for the New Business of the Year Award, a business has to have opened in Superior or Douglas County within the past year. Nominees were asked to describe why they decided to open their business in Superior or Douglas County. Nominees were also asked to describe how they utilize technology to run their business, and how they are innovative above others in their industry. Finally, nominees were asked to demonstrate how the local community has supported their business in their first year.

Outstanding Young Business Award
For a business to be nominated in the Outstanding Young Business Award, they must be a member of the Chamber and have operations within the community. The business must be in operation for less than 20 years. Nominees were evaluated based on the business’s organizational performance and integrity, how the business treats their employees, what makes them different from other businesses in its industry, and how the nominee has impacted the local community.

Community Cornerstone Award
The Community Cornerstone Award is for those businesses that have been longstanding members of our community. Their success didn’t happen overnight, and neither did their community impact. But with decades of doing business in Superior and Douglas County, businesses that are nominated in this category are more than a business, they are a local institution. To be eligible to win this award, a business must be a member of the Chamber, have operations within our community, and have been in operation for more than 20 years.

Sponsors for the Chamber Annual Meeting and Business Awards included: Super One Foods as Title Sponsor; University of Wisconsin-Superior and Enbridge as Platinum Partners; Superior Choice Credit Union as Gold Partner; National Bank of Commerce and Superior Telegram as Silver Partners; Fraser Shipyards/Fraser Industries, LHB, and P&R Properties Twin Ports LLC as Bronze Partners; and North Shore Title LLC as an Event Partner.

About the Superior-Douglas County Chamber of Commerce
The Superior- Douglas County Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit business membership organization with more than 400 members throughout the area. The Chamber’s mission is to advance the business interest and community growth of Superior-Douglas County. Its mission is accomplished through networking events, legislative involvement, educational programs, and numerous other products and services that it offers. An elected Board of Directors governs the Chamber. A professional staff handles the day-to-day operations of the organization. For more information about the Chamber, visit http://www.superiorchamber.org