STURGIS, S.D. – The Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce the award winners at our 78th Annual Sturgis Chamber Awards Banquet.
The event took place the evening of Thursday, April 4th 2024 at the Loud American in downtown Sturgis. The Chamber welcomed a packed house with over 150 attendees for a social hour with live music by the Lucas Olson Duo, dinner, and a presentation of 12 prestigious awards to individuals and businesses in the community.
Executive Director, Veronica Grosek kicked off the presentation with a tradition: Reviewing outstanding media headlines for Sturgis businesses and tourism the past year. This year’s review, themed “Soundtrack to 2023,” featured numerous newspaper, television, and other headlines including everything from new business ribbon cuttings to the arts and major community and tourism-driving events in Sturgis.
Assistant Director, Kadence Gleason continued the presentation with an overview of the Sturgis Chamber’s signature events in 2023. Gleason noted that the Chamber’s first annual Legendary Sturgis Battle of the Bands alongside the growing Sturgis Art Festival was a massive success its first year, with more than 20 bands from across the nation vying for a competition seat this year. This was one of more than 40 successful events the Sturgis Chamber hosted last year to support its business, agriculture, and tourism-focused mission.
Membership Coordinator, Taylor VanDerSys highlighted membership milestones and tourism updates from 2023. She showed the Sturgis Welcome Center’s in-progress renovation project, which will provide updated amenities for visitors, better conference and workshop facilities, and even workstations for members. She also mentioned the quickly-growing business membership and outstanding community outreach figures for the past year.
Grosek returned to the stage to recap the Sturgis Chamber’s accomplishments, and emphasized the importance of a new project unveiled in 2023: Sturgis’s brand new “57785” community and tourism magazine with publisher Evergreen Media. She showed several magazine spreads from the first issue and explained the value of having a beautiful publication just for Sturgis, to show the town’s friendly faces, unique businesses, and incredible places. Grosek announced that the second issue of the magazine is nearly complete, and will be available soon.
Several members of the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors took the stage to hand out the evening’s awards:
AWARD RECIPIENTS:
- New Business of the Year: Key City Chiropractic & Acupuncture
- Employee of the Year: Ricky Miller, Kickstart Travel Center
- Employer of the Year: Black Hills Special Services Cooperative
- Customer Service Excellence Award: Kwik Mart/Sturgis Subs
- Sponsor of the Year: Sturgis Buffalo Chip
- Community Pride Award: City of Sturgis Public Works Department
- Retail Business of the Year: Rushmore Office Supply
- Hospitality Business of the Year: American Legion & Sturgis Veterans Club
- Manufacturing Business of the Year: Longrifles, Inc.
- Service Business of the Year: Dolan Creek Senior Living / Aspen Grove Assisted Living
- Community Volunteer of the Year: Bill Atyeo, Sturgis Golden K Kiwanis
- Bob Davis Award (Top Honor): Pete Wilson, Sturgis Brown High School
