Chamber Presents Awards at Gala

The Kearney Chamber of Commerce presented five prestigious awards at its first annual Harvest Gala on Thursday, September, 23. The night also served as an opportunity for business owners to network and sample great food from Kearney area restaurants.

Area business owners were dressed to the nines in their “creative black tie” as they mingled at the Kearney Chamber’s first Harvest Gala that took place at the Tobacco Barn Farm. The Gala Committee presented an event to remember with great food, fun musical entertainment, and Business Excellence Awards that celebrate members of the business community.

The first award presented was the Rising Star award. This award recognizes a new business or a business that reignited, rebranded, or reinvented itself over the last year. The winner of the Rising Star Award was Bea’s Flowers and Gifts.

The next award was the Chamber Dedication award. This award celebrates a person, business, or organization who has exhibited dedication to the Chamber through service, support, and/or tenure of membership. The Chamber Dedication award went to Gerri Spencer and the Kearney Historic Museum

The third award was the Biggest Community Impact award. This honor recognizes a person, business or organization that has had the biggest impact on our community in the last year. The winner of this award was the Firehouse Community Center/Kearney Enrichment Council

The next award was the Business of the Year award. The Business of the Year award was introduced by the Ambassador Committee. Business of the Year nominees are former Business of the Month recipients, who are nominated by that committee. This honor went to 102.7FM KPGZ.

The final award of the evening was the Citizen of the Year award. This award is given to recognize an outstanding member of the chamber community who, through their personal involvement, leadership abilities, and selfless giving of their time and talent, has positively affected Kearney and the lives of its citizens. The Citizen of the Year Award honors those who’s contributions to Kearney have been both a recent effort resulting in a substantial benefit to the community, and a steady, reliable long-term history of service to Kearney. This award was presented posthumously to the late Bob Tate of the UPS Store.

The Citizen of the Year award will be renamed in Bob’s memory for all future time. Henceforth, the Citizen of the Year award will be known as the Bob Tate Memorial Award.

KPGZ News - Stacie Bratcher and Brian Watts contributed to this story