Mankato, MN (October 9, 2024) – Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. is excited to announce the honorees to be recognized at the Greater Mankato Business Awards & Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 7. This premier event is a time where Greater Mankato Growth, Visit Mankato, City Center Partnership, and GreenSeam honor outstanding businesses, professionals, and organizations within the Greater Mankato community.

The Greater Mankato Business Awards & Hall of Fame, presented by Abdo, will be held on Thursday, November 7, 2024, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm in the Grand Hall of the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in downtown Mankato. Registration is now open; please visit Greater Mankato Growth website at greatermankato.com/bahof to reserve your spot.

“We are thrilled to host this annual celebration, honoring the businesses and organizations that have played a pivotal role in driving economic growth and vitality across our region. This year, we are introducing exciting new awards—Development Project of the Year, Talent Innovation, and The Coolest Thing Made in Greater Mankato—and we’ve also relocated the event to the Grand Hall at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center,” said Della Schmidt, President & CEO of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. “This is a fantastic opportunity to network with fellow professionals and celebrate the outstanding achievements of local businesses. We look forward to seeing you there on Thursday, November 7.”

2024 Greater Mankato Business Awards & Hall of Fame Honorees:

Greater Mankato Growth Awards

2024 Business Hall of Fame Inductee: WEB Construction, Co., Inc.

The Hall of Fame award recognizes distinguished businesses or organizations which have made significant contributions to our vibrant community and showcases their commitment to economic development and the well-being of their employees. The winner in this category is recognized for their impact on the local economy through the creation of quality jobs and development opportunities. The hallmark of the nominated business is their ethical leadership, community engagement, active participation in Greater Mankato Growth (chamber of commerce) activities, as well as commitment to environmental stewardship and private enterprise.

Business Legacy: Bolton & Menk, Inc.

The Business Legacy award celebrates private sector businesses previously inducted into the Business Hall of Fame. This award honors a business that continues to demonstrate a steadfast commitment to being an employer of choice, fostering a positive workplace culture, and prioritizing employee growth and development. Additionally, the business must exhibit strong community support through initiatives that give back to and engage with local population, reinforcing the business’s role as a responsible corporate citizen.

NEW! Development Project of the Year: Winner to Be Announced at Event

New this year, this category recognizes a new development or redevelopment project that elevates the Greater Mankato regional marketplace through its regional economic impact or innovative architecture and design, which greatly improves the aesthetics of the area where this project is located. The winner in this category will be announced at the event. The three finalists are: Arch + Cable Hotel, Mayo Clinic Health System, and Shared Spaces at Emy Frentz.

NEW! Talent Innovation Award: Winner to Be Announced at Event

New in 2024, the Talent Innovation award will honor the success of a business or organization leading the way in talent attraction and retention through reducing barriers to work for traditionally overlooked talent pools, providing innovative training to employees, creating opportunities for high school and college students, modifying work schedules, hiring from outside the region, or taking other actions that serve as an industry best practice to grow and develop our region’s labor force. The three finalists are: Cambria, Eide Bailly, and Taylor Corporation.

NEW! The Coolest Thing Made in Greater Mankato: Winner to Be Chosen by Popular Vote at Event

The winner of this category—a brand new award introduced this year—will be chosen at the event by the attendees. This award honors the contributions of businesses that bring attention to our region by producing innovative and unique physical or digital goods or services. This year’s finalists in this new category are: Custom Freight and Passenger Elevators (MEI Total Elevator Solutions), Kato Engineering Energy Storage Subsystems utilized in the U.S. Navy’s newest Ford class aircraft carriers Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch Systems (Nidec Power), and VGT-350 Robotic Handler (V-TEK, Inc.).

Visit Mankato Awards

Bring It Home: Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center

This award recognizes an individual, group, or organization that works alongside Visit Mankato to bring a significant event to Greater Mankato. As a premier venue in the region, the winner in this category has played a pivotal role in attracting major concerts, events, and conferences to Mankato, boosting local tourism and economic development, as well as enhancing the city’s visibility as a thriving destination for business and leisure.

Hospitality: Moulin Rouge House Bed & Breakfast

The Hospitality Award recognizes an individual, group, or organization who has gone above and beyond to provide outstanding hospitality to the visitors of Greater Mankato or who has helped promote Greater Mankato as a great destination to visit. 

City Center Partnership Awards

CityDesign Award: The Silos Apartments

This category recognizes new construction or renovation projects that contribute to the vitality of the City Center. This project could be the result of significant investment to develop a new building or redevelop an existing property to improve its use.

GreenSeam Awards

Seamed in Success: Compart Family Farms

The Seamed in Success Award honors an outstanding business, organization, community, or individual who has made a large impact and added value to the community and region. This award recognizes those who have highlighted the importance of agriculture, with an emphasis on rural vitality building upon our agricultural roots.

Growing in the GreenSeam: Romsdahl Companies

The Growing in the GreenSeam award honors an outstanding business that has recently planted its seed in the GreenSeam region. Each year, one remarkable new business is recognized for its innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and contribution to our vibrant community.

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Hal qayb oo ka mid ah Greater Mankato Growth, Inc.

Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. is comprised of four business units: Greater Mankato Growth, the regional chamber of commerce and economic development organization; Visit Mankato, the local destination management organization; City Center Partnership, a downtown development organization; and GreenSeam, which utilizes agriculture to build on the region’s extensive agribusiness assets to develop the ag economy.