TwinWest is proud to recognize the accomplishments and dedication of our members. Below are details on the awards we present on a regular basis.

Entrepreneur and Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year

Circle Awards 

Volunteer Superstar Awards 

Each year, TwinWest presents our Entrepreneur of the Year and Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year awards to small-business owners to recognize and applaud their drive, innovation, business savvy and commitment to their employees and communities.

Nominees for these awards undergo a lengthy interview process conducted by TwinWest's Small Business Awards Luncheon Task Force. After a final selection process, the winners are announced in May at our Small Business Awards Luncheon.

Criteria for nomination:

All candidates must be TwinWest members for at least one year by the end of May, and must be the owner or visible leader of a successful small business with $100 million or less in annual revenue.

TwinWest Entrepreneur of the Year: A TwinWest-member entrepreneur who has established and maintained a successful business with $100 million or less in annual revenue, which is five or more years old.

TwinWest Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year: A TwinWest-member entrepreneur who has established a company with $100 million or less in annual revenue, which is less than five years old and more than one year old and displays excellent growth potential.

To submit a nomination, send an e-mail to Judy Johnson, director of community relations, at judy@twinwest.com or call 763.450.2226.

2007 award winners:

2007 Entrepreneur of the Year
Jim Leslie, Midwave Corporation

2007 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
Richard (Dick) Brown, Voice Solutions, Inc.

View a list of all winners since the awards were established...


Circle Awards

Each year, TwinWest recognizes member businesses for their generous sponsorships and TwinWest Foundation donations throughout the year. We appreciate our members' ongoing commitment and support.

2006-2007 Awards:

Gold Circle
Citizens Independent Bank
Grand Casino Mille Lacs-Hinckley
Liberty Diversified Industries
TDS Metrocom

Silver Circle
Caliber Development
Data Recognition Corporation
Fuzzy Duck Design
Henningson & Snoxell
LarsonAllen
Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company
Midwave Corporation
QuarterTon Productions
Qwest Communications Foundation
StarTribune
Sun Newspapers
TCF Foundation
Voyager Bank
Watermark Fine Stationery
Xcel Energy

Bronze Circle
Anchor Bank
Blanski Peter Kronlage & Zoch, P.A. CPAs
BNC National Bank
Floret
Gleason Printing
Graham Jewelers
Marriott Minneapolis Southwest
Melberg Marketing
North Memorial Health Care
OWLL Financial, Inc.
Pressworks
Principal Financial Group
Qwest Communications
Ridgedale Center
RLK Incorporated
The Business Bank
Upsher Smith Laboratories
Walden Automotive
Wells Fargo Banks


Volunteer Superstar Awards

Each month, TwinWest recognizes an outstanding volunteer from the TwinWest membership by presenting them with a Volunteer Superstar award. Recipients are chosen by the TwinWest Board of Directors or the TwinWest staff for going above and beyond in their work on a TwinWest initiative or strategic goal. The awards are presented at each month's Overtime (a networking event held by a TwinWest member business).

 January 2008: Larry Brauch, Liberty Diversified Industries (LDI)

Larry has chaired TwinWest's involvement in the Minnesota Chamber's Grow Minnesota! initiative for the past two years, leading the charge on the Chamber's CEO retention visits. Under Larry's leadership, TwinWest is on its way to completing 46 visits this year (2007-2008). Larry also has been instrumental in launching an early childhood program at Liberty Diversified Industries' New Hope headquarters. The program, called the Parent Education Series, was launched in the fall of 2007 and focuses on preparing employees' children and grandchildren to start kindergarten. LDI employees are receiving instruction on this topic over the course of the six-week pilot program. The pilot has been hailed by the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation as a model for other businesses in the state of Minnesota to replicate.

February 2008: Eddie Ulrich, Fuzzy Duck Design

Eddie Ulrich and his graphic design company Fuzzy Duck Design have helped TwinWest immeasurably with Setting the Standard. Leading the Way.™ in our publications and other materials. Over the past seven years as a TwinWest member, Eddie has served on many of the Chamber's event-planning committees, taking on the role of graphic design sponsor. With their creative expertise and experience, Eddie and his team have elevated TwinWest's event and program collateral materials to a new level. He and his team also were instrumental in TwinWest's rebranding efforts, designing the new TwinWest logo and weighing in with expertise to help establish new graphic design standards for the Chamber.

Since becoming a member in 2006, Chris Hasling has been very involved with the Chamber. He participates in the TwinWest Emerging Leaders program, and he is an active and enthusiastic TwinWest Ambassador. He also has been an instrumental part of the Annual Gala planning committee, specifically through his involvement as chair of the silent auction subcommittee. For the 2008 Gala alone, he solicited items worth more than $15,000 in retail value! He also inspired and motivated the entire subcommittee to bring in items worth a total of more than $86,000. Because of Chris' effective leadership, we are very pleased to announce he will co-chair the 24th Annual Gala Steering Committee in 2009.