Blog
Dec
A time to give thanks
Nicole Bengtson 0 comments Editorials
Dear River Heights Community,
As I end my year as Chairman of the River Heights Chamber of Commerce, I would like to take this time to speak to the community as a small business owner myself. As we started this year, I spoke about vision and knowing we live in a world with so many possibilities. As the year progressed, I was reminded that while vision is important, great vision also requires focus. I know we are constantly inundated with news of all the challenges happening around us, however, it is important to focus on the things we have to be thankful for.
We can be thankful for the people we surround ourselves with – our business community, neighbors, family, friends and co-workers. Included in that mix are the connections that are created and strengthened through the River Heights Chamber of Commerce. We understand that involvement in the Chamber and business community has looked different this year. We are thankful for your resilience, transparency and support of the Chamber and others in the community to help where you could. For some, that was making or delivering extra food, handing out masks, making masks or hand sanitizer, helping clean up after vandalism or taking on extra cleaning and safety measures to keep your employees and customers safe. This time, now more than ever, we needed to support one another.
We can enjoy the opportunity of connecting with loved ones who are far away or our coworkers from working remotely through technologies we haven’t needed to use in that way before. We are thankful for the partnerships and connections we’ve made within the business community to share expertise and knowledge to others in need of person-to-person interaction and navigating uncharted waters.
Although it’s impossible to predict what the year ahead holds for us, we can be certain that it will be filled with both challenges and reminders of what’s important. I invite you to join me in focusing on the latter.
Cheers to a healthier year ahead –
Adam Bengtson, 2020 Chairman of the Board, River Heights Chamber of Commerce
President and CEO, Endorse Communications, LLC
Jan
Meet Our Award Winners Celebrated at the 117th Annual Meeting
Nicole Bengtson 0 comments Editorials, Event News, Marketing
Celebrating 117 Years and Honoring Business of the Year, Forrest Glewwe Visions of Excellence, Rising Star & Employer of People with Disabilities Awards
Inver Grove Heights/South St. Paul – The River Heights Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 117th Annual Meeting on Thursday, January 9th at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront.
At this year’s meeting, the River Heights Chamber of Commerce awarded Heidi Satre of Neighbors Inc. the 2019 Rising Star award for her volunteerism with the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee and her many other contributions to the community. Vance Boelter of the Dakota-Scott Workforce Investment Board presented in partnership with his organization, the Employer of the Year for People with Disabilities Award, to Town Square Television for employing individuals with disabilities through Proact to clean their studios for over two decades.
Adam Bengtson, of Endorse Communications, was introduced as the 2020 Chairman of the Board and commented, “Those who know me well might describe me as a runaway optimist. But I believe that’s for good reason. The amazing advancements in the ways we live, conduct business and drive change are accelerating every day. In a matter of just two or three generations, the landscape of technology around us has completely transformed nearly every facet of our lives. I’m incredibly excited that the Chamber is leading the way in adopting this way of thinking.
Of course, these changes and improvements don’t happen in a vacuum. It takes ideas and energy from stakeholders from all around our community – that especially includes business and civic leaders in the River Heights Chamber of Commerce.”
Chairman Bengtson presented the River Heights Chamber 2020 Business of the Year to Drkula’s 32 of Inver Grove Heights, and later presented the 2019 Forrest Glewwe Visions of Excellence Award in memory of Carol Swenson to her family. To watch their individual award videos, check out the Chamber’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/riverheightschamber.
The audience also heard an inspiring keynote from Ian Leonard, Chief Meteorologist, FOX 9.
“What have you done for someone else today?” A question everyone can ask themselves, their staff, and their family – “live your passion with a purpose!”
Special thanks to the Annual Meeting event sponsors Waterous Company and Town Square Television, major sponsors CHS Inc, and Xcel Energy, and contributing sponsors Flint Hills Resources, Inver Grove Heights Convention & Visitors Bureau and Mahoney, Ulbrich, Christiansen and Russ, P.A.
