Capping off a great evening at the annual Fall Gala, Mark and Robin Johnson, the owners of Johnson’s Foods, were called up to receive the 2016 Business of the Year award. Cook County Chamber of Commerce Director Jim Boyd recounted some of the histories of the store and noted that Johnson’s Foods is a family-run business that supports the basic needs of the community with livable wages and health insurance for its employees.
The seventh annual Fall Gala hosted by Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) was in every way a great success as more than 250 people rode the gondola to the top of Moose Mountain on Tuesday, October 25 to attend the festive event held at Summit Chalet in Lutsen.
Following an hour to mingle and snack, attendees sat down and turned their attention to Visit Cook County Executive Director Linda Jurek Kratt and Chamber Director Jim Boyd who took to the podium to announce guest speakers and 2016 Chamber of Commerce award winners.
Kratt said since 2013—the year she was hired—the county’s lodging tax has grown 14.5 percent and brought in $4,580,814. She thanked her staff and area business leaders who help to promote tourism, community, and economic development.
One invited guest, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, couldn’t attend but sent a letter read by Kratt. In summation, Senator Klobuchar wrote, “Your focus tonight on tourism, community and economic development and the arts is a great example of what you are doing to improve life in northern Minnesota. In today’s economy, we know that having access to high-speed Internet is a necessity not only for business but students as well. That’s why I’ve worked on broadband access legislation in D.C. and am glad to know that here in Cook County, Arrowhead Electric has been leading the way in providing fiber to residents. Access to high-speed Internet allows people to work remotely from home, and also allows businesses to relocate to rural Minnesota, creating new jobs and supporting entrepreneurs.”
Above: State Senator Tom Bakk (left) and House Representative Rob Ecklund both attended the gala and gave brief remarks to the crowd. Bakk said he would continue to work for the county, and he listed off many projects that he had lent a hand in seeing accomplished. Right: Cook County Chamber of Commerce Director Jim Boyd reads off a long list of achievements Beth Kennedy has accomplished in her more than 40 years as a volunteer in the community. Beth was named the Community Business Leader of the Year by the chamber.
District 3 Senator Tom Bakk gave a brief report about the work in the legislature and his involvement with projects the state has helped to fund in Cook County. As far as getting state funding dollars sent to Cook County, the senator said that too many of the legislators, when they looked at the county’s tax proceeds, believed that per capita residents in the county were wealthy, “And we all know that’s not true.” So work will have to be done to correct that impression, said the senator.
District 3 Representative Rob Ecklund’s remarks were brief, but he led off with a nice touch by asking veterans to stand and be noted. Ecklund won a special election for the late David Dill’s seat and is running to hold it in this upcoming election.
Jim Boyd gave a run down of the chamber’s accomplishments over the last year and noted the Cook County EDA’s work to create affordable housing in the county.
Grand Marais Art Colony Executive Director Amy Demmer spoke next, citing the explosive growth in annual economic impacts from arts and culture tourism to the county. She said those visitors bring in more than $10 million annually, $2.58 million on direct expenditures, $2 million on annual audience spending on arts and culture and create 127 full-time jobs supported by the arts and culture industry in the county.
Left: An unexpected announcement came when Tom Rider called on a very deserving (but self-deprecating) Scott Harrison to come forward to receive the Chairman Award for Visionary Leadership. Above: Chuck Corliss and Kim Schroeder were the recipients of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for their North Shore Winery business which is located on the Lutsen Ski Hill Road.
Advancing the growth in arts is key to Cook County’s future, said Demmer, and she presented “Leveraging Creativity: Cook County Cultural Plan” a blueprint for growth in the arts/culture sector for the county.
“Those who live in Cook County are here because they want to be, have stayed because they can. The place attracts unique people: self-reliant, creative, opinionated, outspoken, and observant. They pull together for community initiatives, artistic endeavors, bartering goods and services and pull each other out of the ditch in snowstorms…
“Traditionally logging, fishing, farming, and manufacturing were the foundation of the county. Today the primary driver is tourism, driven by the four key ingredients of a place of destination: a stunning natural beauty, a rich history and culture, local foods and authentic life, and a vibrant arts and culture scene. Go Cook County Economic Analysis, 2013, reports that ‘The county’s tourism economy is built on high-quality public lands and Lake Superior, Arts and North Shore culture,’” said Demmer.
Finally, the 2016 Business Award winners were announced. Kim Schroeder and Chuck Corliss were selected by their peers to receive the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for their North Shore Winery business that is located on the Ski Hill Road in Lutsen.
Beth Kennedy, who started and owns several businesses in Grand Marais, was named Community Business Leader of the Year for her long-term commitment to the community, her work with Empty Bowls and Ruby’s Pantry, and her “passion and caring about the lives of others.”
Finally, Mark and Robin Johnson, owners of Johnson’s Foods, “a family run business that supports the basic needs of the community with livable wages and health insurance for their employees” were named the winner of the Business of the Year award. Robin said that because none of their children were interested in taking over the store that she and Mark would be the last Johnsons to own the grocery which was started in 1932 by Mark’s grandfather. “We must not have raised our children right. They have all found careers they find more exciting than coming back and taking over the grocery store,” she said to laughter.
Finally, Scott Harrison was recognized for his tireless work on the EDA and many other nonprofit organizations he has joined and assisted.
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