River Heights Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Local Business Leaders
Tandem Printing, Inc. Business of the Year & Beth Baumann, Forrest Glewwe Visions of Excellence Award

During the River Heights Chamber of Commerce and Progress Plus Annual Meeting on February 23, 2017, at Southview Country Club in West St. Paul, the Chamber thanked its 2016 Chairman, Brian MacKenzie of FASTSIGNS – IGH, and welcomed Jon Erickson of Ultimate Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning as the 2017 Chairman of the Board.  Highlights of 2016 were shared including event successes, increased membership engagement, efficiencies in communications and marketing, and relationship building with our newly elected officials.

The River Heights Chamber of Commerce proudly announced Tandem Printing, Inc. as the 2017 Business of the Year.  Tandem Printing was founded in 1954 by Bob & Marilyn Jensen of Richfield, MN. For 37 years, the Jensen’s established a reputation for quality, reliability, service and integrity as they built their company working in “Tandem” as a husband and wife team. As the years passed by, the appeal of retirement became stronger and in 1991 a new “Tandem”, John Kostka and Steve Kane, acquired the company and have continued those values and tradition. Tandem is active in Printing Industry of Minnesota events which keeps them current on industry trends.  They encourage participation in the River Heights Chamber, professional networking groups and many local, national and international non-profits. Tandem’s goal is and always has been to reinvest in the company. Over the course of 26 years, John and Steve have grown the company by adding equipment to further their product offerings and by acquiring companies to fit the needs and demands of their existing clients.  During their transition, Tandem moved from Bloomington to Eagan and secured the tag line WE PRINT. ON ANYTHING.  Steve & John pride themselves on the fact that they’ve grown from 4 employees in Richfield to 33 in Eagan in just 26 years. The belief of all partners at Tandem was shared as follows, “The future growth and success as a company and as individuals depends on our mutual respect and cooperation and on each other of our company’s objectives. We maintain a reputation as a client focused company which strives to achieve excellence always.”

The Chamber was also honored to award Beth Baumann the River Heights Chamber’s 2016 Forrest Glewwe Visions of Excellence Award.  Beth is the former Mayor of South St. Paul after tirelessly serving her community for 14 years.  She provided great leadership in making South St. Paul a wonderful community to live, work and play. Under her direction, the Economic Development Authority was established to assist businesses looking to grow or locate in South St. Paul and to search for new business opportunities. Beth was instrumental in establishing the Mayors Youth Task Force to give kids the opportunity to do something positive for their community. It has become an extremely successful group and the kids love Mayor B.!  In addition to the River Heights Chamber and Progress Plus, Beth has been actively involved in organizations such as Neighbors, Inc., Dakota Futures, SMFD and Relay for Life.  Beth is enthusiastic and empowering, and truly exceeds in all criteria for this award, which encompass a commitment to the betterment of life, business, community and entrepreneurship for the River Heights region.

Also awarded at the Annual meeting were Amanda Kissner of Wakota Federal Credit Union as the 2016 Rising Star recipient. The award is given to a volunteer who has accelerated in their first few years as a Chamber volunteer by displaying leadership, enthusiasm and passion for the Chamber’s mission.  Bruce Bairaktaris was recognized as the 2016 Ambassador of the Year for earning the most points as a Chamber Ambassador throughout the year.  The Ambassadors are the welcoming arm of the Chamber who visit members, attend grand openings and serve as greeters and mentors for Chamber members.

Jon Erickson, 2017 Chairman, extended a welcome to the group and his vision for the Chamber to work together and create a “Culture of Unity.” “We are stronger together and connected through the relationships we make through our memberships in the Chamber.”

Minnesota State Representative Rick Hansen planned to facilitate a legislative panel, however, he and Representative Barr and Representative Franke were called into session at the Capitol as they debated Real ID among other things on the House Floor.  Former Chairman Kelton Glewwe filled in to facilitate the panel with our Senators.  In keeping with the night’s theme of unity, everyone got to know a little bit more about Senator Matt Klein and Senator Dan Schoen, as well as get their thoughts on important legislation.

Special thanks to our featured event sponsors Town Square Television, Flint Hills Resources and Waterous Company, as well as major sponsors, Deerwood Bank, Xcel Energy, SKB Environmental and Progress Plus Economic Development Foundation.

For more details about the Chamber’s award winners, please watch their videos on the River Heights Chamber of Commerce’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/riverheightschamber and check out photos from the event on the River Heights Chamber’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RiverHeightsChamber.

About River Heights Chamber of Commerce:
The River Heights Chamber of Commerce is a business organization who aggressively promotes the interests of the business communities of Inver Grove Heights and South St. Paul. The organization is volunteer driven and strives to attract and retain businesses to keep the business community thriving. The River Heights Chamber continues to provide value-added opportunities for all members. Visit our website www.riverheights.com to learn more!

Stay connected with the River Heights Chamber of Commerce on our social media sites!

www.facebook.com/RiverHeightsChamber

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