Bemidji Chamber seeks nominations for annual awards by May 5

Bemidji businesses with a strong year have until May 5 to get into the running for the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce’s 21st Annual Awards of Excellence, a spring program that spotlights the local companies and leaders the chamber believes are moving the community forward. The five nomination categories are Business of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, New Business of the Year, Healthy Workplace and Community Impact.

The chamber’s nomination process is built around peer recognition. Nominations are anonymous, nominees are contacted by the Awards Committee, and each nominee completes a brief survey before the chamber makes its final decisions. Every nominee receives an Awards of Excellence nomination certificate, giving the program value even for businesses that do not end up taking home a category win.

The annual luncheon is set for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the SouthShore Hotel on Lake Bemidji, where the winners will be announced and honored. The chamber says the awards are meant to recognize Chamber member businesses and individuals who go above and beyond to strengthen the community, and the event has become a regular marker on the Bemidji spring calendar.

The awards matter because they do more than hand out trophies. In a local economy where reputation, hiring and community trust can shape how a business grows, the chamber’s honors serve as a public stamp of credibility. They also show what Bemidji leaders value most: not just revenue, but entrepreneurship, workplace quality, service and the kind of community impact that reaches beyond a storefront or office.

Past winners show the range of businesses the chamber wants to celebrate. In 2021, Tracie Lusby and Jaimee Labernik of The Bluebelle Event Venue were named Entrepreneur of the Year, Dunkin was New Business of the Year, Lueken’s Village Foods won Healthy Workplace, Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota received Community Impact, Paul Bunyan Communications was named Business of the Year, and Pete Aube received the Charlie Naylor Lifetime Achievement Award. Rich Siegert later received the Charlie Naylor honor in 2023, underscoring how the chamber uses the program to recognize both newer operators and long-established names with deep local roots.

Along with the five business categories, the chamber also presents the Charlie Naylor Lifetime Achievement Award to an individual whose lasting contributions have made a meaningful impact on the community. With the May 5 deadline closing fast, the nomination window is now open for anyone who knows a Bemidji-area business or leader that has stood out over the past year.