Connecting Business and Community

After years of being on the outside and anticipating who would be Connect Business Magazine’s Business Person of the Year each January, I was excited to be on the other side this year! Opening my email each day in September to see what nominations I would find, then once they were all gathered, submitting them to the Minnesota State University College of Business to judge, wondering truly how they would pick.

As I read through the nomination essays I quickly discovered even though all the nominees were from different industries and had different backgrounds, there was one thing they all had in common. Every single one of them. Their love and commitment to our community. And I also thought how happy I was that I would not have to be the one choosing! So many deserving nominees this year. Truth be told, I wish I could feature all of them! This year’s nominees were not only keen business minds, but they each demonstrated a heart for the communities in our region as well.

What I can do is bring you the top vote getter, and the two runners up. They are likely familiar faces to many of you. You may even think you know them pretty well. Well, read through our stories and you may just discover something you didn’t know. Read on to learn from them as we delve into how they have made their respective businesses such a success.

Happy reading, and hopefully, learning!

Lisa Cownie
Editor