Chamber Celebrates Golden Anniversary, Business Leaders at Harvest Gala

The Kearney Chamber of Commerce presented five prestigious awards at its sixth annual Harvest Gala on Thursday, October 1. Local business owners and community leaders gathered at Tobacco Barn Farm in Holt to honor the premier institutions and individuals driving Kearney's economic and community success.

The theme for the evening was Golden Jubilee, and  annual event recognized exceptional dedication, community service, and outstanding leadership across several major categories.

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 Precision Athletics & Wellness.

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 Brian Watts of 102.7FM.

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 Kearney Senior 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 T7 Custom Sports and T7 Let’s Play.

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 whose 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 to Jason Hoyt of HNB Bank (formerly Kearney Trust Company).

The gala marks a major milestone for the Chamber of Commerce, looking back at a half-century legacy while spotlighting the active leaders setting the standard for Kearney’s business landscape moving forward.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story.