I was very proud to serve as the host for this year’s annual Wheat Ridge Business Appreciation Awards Ceremony and share my heartful congratulations to all the nominees. The event is presented by the City of Wheat Ridge, partnering with the Wheat Ridge Business Association (WRBA) and the Wheat Ridge Chamber of Commerce, and recognizes outstanding businesses in the community.
We are so fortunate to have such dedicated community-minded business owners. Not only have they invested and reinvested into their company, but many give back in ways too numerous to detail in this column. What you will see with this year’s selection is how that was accomplished in a variety of ways and how their contributions were honored at this year’s event.
I also want to thank Steve Art, our Wheat Ridge Economic Development Manager, for all his work to plan and coordinate this event.
The 2021 award recipients are:
- Wheat Ridge Business of the Year – Personal Achievement Marshal Arts
- Wheat Ridge Reinvestment Award – BartaHouse, West End 38 and U.S. Retailers for Applewood Shopping Center
- Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission Award – Stylus & Crate
- Wheat Ridge City Council Partnership Award – Eugene Kahng, Colorado Plus
- Wheat Ridge Mayor’s Partnership Award – Dominick Breton
- Green Business Award – Stylus & Crate
- WRBA Rising Star Award – Lynn Tran, Wild & Precious Optimal Living
- WRBA Member of the Year – Maki DeLaet, Educyber
- Wheat Ridge Chamber Business of the Year – Stylus & Crate
- Wheat Ridge Chamber Non-Profit – Kiwanis Club of Wheat Ridge
- Wheat Ridge Chamber Volunteer of the Year – Sean Neelan, Compass Real Estate
Residents and local businesses nominated their choice for the Business of the Year and the Reinvestment Award. Nominations were reviewed and winners were selected by a team of Jefferson County business professionals for Business of the Year and city staff for the Reinvestment Award. Other award winners were selected by the sponsoring organization for that award.
The Annual Awards Ceremony also honored 16 members of the community, city council and city staff who helped the city in being named a 2021 All-America City by the National Civic League.
The ceremony also honored individuals and groups who assisted the city during the COVID-19 pandemic. These special recognition awards honored local, county and federal individuals and agencies who assisted the city in the distribution of CARES Act funds, helped distribute personal protective equipment and signage to businesses, created online resources, and provided daily updates on COVID-19 procedures and executive and public health orders.
Last year was filled with complex challenges faced by our local businesses due in large part to the pandemic. What we saw, however, was that even in the face of adversity, deeper partnerships developed between the city, the Wheat Ridge Business Association, and the Wheat Ridge Chamber. We can all be proud of their dedication and commitment as they did more than just manage the hardships they faced but actually thrived as they embraced additional resources provided at the local, county, state and federal levels and new ways to do business.
Contact Wheat Ridge Mayor Bud Starker at 303-235-2800 or bstarker@ci.wheatridge.co.us.
