'Team Up' for the 2022 Celebration of Excellence presented by Widseth, our largest signature event of the year for our 1,000+ members! Join us as we cheer on our business award champions and their amazing accomplishments. Also receiving recognition will be our Leadership Experience Class of 2022.
Gather your team and celebrate the spirit of the Brainerd Lakes business community at our biggest night of the year! Score your tables and tickets today!
THE THEME: TEAM UP
Team Up is a vintage sports theme encapsulating an iconic era of American athletics. We invite attendees to celebrate the nostalgia of team spirit, camaraderie and friendship.
Kavanaugh's Sylvan Lake Resort: The Epitome of 'TEAM'
The Brainerd Lakes Chamber and Cub Foods are excited to present the 4th Lakes Proud Small Business of the Year Award to Kavanaugh’s Sylvan Lake Resort! This year’s Celebration of Excellence theme is ‘Team Up’ and the family of Kavanaugh’s Sylvan Lake Resort are true examples of the definition for the word team. The four Kavanaugh brothers, John, Mark, Dave and Tom, work together daily to ensure business excellence and service to their guests.
LINDAR / Avantech / TRI-VEN: A Family Dynasty
Joining the list of legendary Business Excellence Award winners is LINDAR / Avantech / TRI-VEN! They will be recognized for their leadership, innovation, employee investment and community service. Hy-Tec Construction is proud to sponsor the Business Excellence Award, which will be presented during the Brainerd Lakes Chamber’s premier event of the year!
Bob Spizzo: Drive & Determination
The crowning glory for the Celebration of Excellence will be the presentation of the Business Legacy Award by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber and RiverWood Bank to Bob Spizzo! Developer, visionary and owner of Breezy Point Resort, Bob Spizzo began his journey in 1977. Bob joined Whitebirch, Inc. as a sales person to develop and market 3,000 residential acres surrounding Breezy Point Resort. It was his drive, determination and commitment that presented him the opportunity to go from sales to ownership of the resort in 1981.
Graduation of the Blue Ox Business Academy Leadership Experience Class of 2022
Inducted into the Blue Ox Business Academy's Leadership Experience Hall of Fame will be the Class of 2022. The Leadership Experience is a ten month program (11 full days) that is designed for emerging leaders and high-potential employees to develop essential skills and insights into their leadership character. The Brainerd Lakes Chamber is proud to have 498 graduates from the Leadership program that originated in 1999. Several of our alumni have grown and developed into some of our area's most influential leaders!
Drey Loge, co-owner of Waste Partners and spokesperson for the Leadership Experience Class of 2022, invites you to attend the Celebration of Excellence on November 17th! Drey reminds us to strive for excellence and that there's always “hidden” treasures and experiences for us to discover. Rally your team to join Drey and the rest of the Leadership Experience Class as we celebrate their graduation!
Join us in celebrating this year's Leadership Experience Class of 2022: Kate Adornetto, Central Lakes College; Nicole Anderson, Lexington Manufacturing; Sara Armstrong, Deerwood Bank; Amy Baratto, LINDAR Corporation; Jillian Barrett, Avantech; Kevin Bartolic, Hy-Tec Construction; Kevin Bartolic, Hy-Tec Construction; Alex Bitter, Widseth; Leah Boedigheimer, Sourcewell and Averion Insurance; Stephanie Bowen, Brainerd Zip Line Tour; Rebecca Davis, Central Lakes College; Bruce Domino, Hunt Utilities Group; Anthony Giammona, Hunt Utilities Group; Steve Gilbert, CTC; Joby Goerges, Magnum Research; Jon Goerges, Pequot Manufacturing; Liz Gonzalez, Lakeland Veterinary Hospital; Brynn Haglin, Simplified Notions; Mitch Hecker, Nor-Son Construction; Lisa Heittola, CTC; Donna Houchin, Brainerd Lakes Chamber; Peggy Jensen, Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union; Drey Loge, Waste Partners; Kaylene Madsen, Lakewood Health System; Laura Moser, Geek2Go; Nathan Noyes, Anderson Brothers Construction; Jackie Paschall, RiverWood Bank; Allison Potvin, CliftonLarsonAllen; James Roepke, RiverWood Bank; Rebecca Rowe, North Central SBDC; BJ Schaumburg, Pequot Manufacturing; Alyssa Sharpe, RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty; Jessica Shea, Crow Wing County; Adam Siemers, Widseth; Dave Thomes, Nor-Son; Mike Tollefson, Clow Stamping Company; Doug Tulenchik, Anderson Brothers Construction; and Mariah White, US Bank.
Sponsor Opportunity
NEW Pre-Game Sponsor ($2,500; Exclusive; SOLD)
Table & Seating Options
MVP TABLE ($1250; SOLD OUT)
VARSITY TABLE ($950; SOLD OUT)
SPIRIT TABLE ($750; SOLD OUT)
INDIVIDUAL SEAT ($85; 2 available)
Add a Bottle of Wine to Your Table ($50)
What to Wear
Remember the years when it was ‘in’ to have school pride and dress to impress? ‘Team Up’ encapsulates the era of athletics from times gone by of wearing letter sweaters and jackets, preppy school uniforms, khakis and sweater vests, ties or scarfs — all in our school colors. Now put on a 2022 twist with incorporating your business team colors! Put your best foot forward as you represent your corporate uniformity to 550+ members of our local business community.
What to wear are recommendations not requirements. We want all of our guests to feel welcome and comfortable. Business attire is also acceptable.
Event Schedule
4:00 - 5:00 PM
5:00 - 6:00 PM
6:15 - 8:30 PM
About the Awards
The Brainerd Lakes Chamber will present three awards at its ninth-annual Celebration of Excellence on November 17th - the traditional Business Excellence Award, which goes to an outstanding local business, the Business Legacy Award, which celebrates individual lifetime achievements as well as community and economic contributions and the Lakes Proud Small Business of the Year Award which will recognize a small business that personifies the spirit of entrepreneurship in the Brainerd Lakes Area!
For all three awards, a nomination/application process was announced in April 2022. After the deadline passed at the end of May, an eleven-member volunteer selection committee independently scored and discussed each applicant before choosing the recipients.
Photo gallery from the 2021 Celebration of Excellence - 'All that Glitters'
MVP TABLE: $1250 (SOLD OUT)
VARSITY TABLE: $950 (SOLD OUT)
SPIRIT TABLE: $750 (SOLD OUT)
INDIVIDUAL SEAT: $85 (1 Available)
Add a Bottle of Wine to your Table: $50