Business community gathers to celebrate at the 12th annual Visit Cook County and Cook County Chamber of Commerce Fall Gala

For the first time, the annual fall gala was held in Grand Marais, MN.

Grand Marais, MN – October 27, 2023 - There were a lot of things to celebrate at the 12th annual Fall Gala hosted by Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. For the first time, the annual fall gala was held right in Grand Marais at the refreshed event center Up Yonder which also happened to win the Business of the Year award. 

Over 200 community members gathered at Up Yonder on Thursday, October 26, 2023 to share a meal and camaraderie. The event program kicked off with a welcome message from Executive Director Linda Jurek and included updates from both Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber, featured an awards presentation, as well as an opportunity for elected officials to greet the crowd. Chamber board president, Chris Homyak of Clearview General Store in Lutsen, welcomed lobbyist Judy Erickson, Senator Grant Hauschild, Representative Roger Skraba, and IRRRB Commissioner Ida Rukavina to the stage for recognition. 

“Earlier in the day, the legislators met with various groups of community leaders to learn more about the priorities and needs of Cook County,” said Linda Jurek, executive director of Visit Cook County & the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. “This is an important part of the Chamber’s work at the capital and helps build the Chamber’s legislative agenda for the upcoming 2024 session.” 

The awards program was the highlight of the night kicking off with the Heart of Hospitality awards. Nominations are accepted from each tourism region and 16 heartfelt nominations were submitted.

The nominees for Heart of Hospitality included: 

Lutsen Tofte Tourism Association

• Sue Johnson, Bluefin Bay Family of Resorts
• Martha Finley, Cascade Vacation Rentals
• Tabitha Blanchard, Fika Coffee
• Dakota Marshall, Moguls Grille & Taproom
• Katie Claire Schuler, Caribou Highlands Lodge

Grand Portage

• Jackie Leopold, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino
• Marcus Logan, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino
• Jasmine Coatie, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino
• Rick Rankin, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino
• Brett Turner, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino

Grand Marais Area Tourism Association

• Amy Lehto, Gunflint Tavern & The Big Lake
• Adam Roen, Arrowhead Transit
• Autumn Sturm, Java Moose

Gunflint Trail Tourism Association

• Carson LaRocque, Gunflint Lodge & Outfitters
• Maddy Frawley & Clay Warburton, Voyageur Canoe Outfitters
• Christian Semon, Trail Center

Heart of Hospitality Award 2023 recipients: 

• Lutsen Tofte Tourism Association: Katie Claire Schuler, Caribou Highlands Lodge 
• Grand Portage: Jasmine Coatie & Marcus Logan, Grand Portage Lodge & Casino
• Grand Marais Area Tourism: Amy Lehto, Gunflint Tavern & The Big Lake 
• Gunflint Trail Association: Christian Semon, Trail Center

The awards concluded with the Cook County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Awards. Nominees included: 
 

Chamber Business of the Year

• Cook County Co-op
• Fisherman's Daughter, Parker & Katie Slanga
• Joy & Company, Jill Terrill
• Up Yonder, Cassidy Gecas & Britt Zieroth
• WTIP Community Radio

Community Business Leader of the Year

• Dee Brazell, World's Best Donuts
• Cassidy Gecas & Britt Zieroth, Up Yonder
• John Fredrikson, Gunflint Lodge
• Kat Meyo, Cook County Local Energy Project
• Parker & Katie Slanga, Fisherman's Daughter
• Jordan Plummer, SHOOK Smoothies

Entrepreneur of the Year

• Satinder (Sam) and Sara Bains, Taste of India & Marathon Gas
• Alex Beebe-Giudice & Christine Sayler, Superior Creamery
• Thom & Jelena McAleer, Jameson Grace Hospitality
• Abby Tofte, The Big Lake
• Brooke Youngdahl & Kelsi Williams, The Sweetwater Co.

Norman Deschampe Community Service Award

• Steve Surbaugh
• Shele Toftey

Chamber Business Award 2023 recipients:

• Business of the Year: Cassidy Gecas & Britt Zieroth, Up Yonder
• Entrepreneur of the Year: Thom & Jelena McAleer, Jameson Grace Hospitality
• Community Business Leader of the Year: Dee Brazell, World’s Best Donuts
• Norman Deschampe Award - Shele Toftey

Find a complete list of past award winners for the Chamber Business Awards and the Heart of Hospitality on our website. 

Visit Cook County, Minnesota 
Visit Cook County encompasses the northeastern Minnesota communities of Lutsen, Tofte, Schroeder, Grand Marais, the Gunflint Trail and Grand Portage, commonly referred to as “the Arrowhead” and the “North Shore of Lake Superior.”  Grand Marais, Minn., has earned several national accolades — most recently, it was named America's Best Small Lake Town by Travel & Leisure Magazine, USA Today’s Best Midwestern Small Town, and Outside Magazine’s The 16 Best Places to Live in the U.S. 2016. Rekindle your sense of adventure by exploring the Superior National Forest or paddling through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Discover what makes the communities of Cook County, Minn. “Naturally Unforgettable.” Connect on social media using #donorthmn, Twitter @CookCoVisitors, Facebook, or Instagram @donorthmn. Learn more at VisitCookCounty.com.

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Assets

• Photos from the event (link)
• Photos from the legislative visits (link)
• Photos of the Chamber Business award nominees & winners (link)
• Photos of the Heart of Hospitality nominees & winners (link)

Heart of Hospitality Awards - October 26, 2023

1. 2023 Heart of Hospitality Award Winners (left to right): Jasmin Coatie of Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, Marcus Logan of Grand Portage Lodge & Casino, Amy Lehto of The Big Lake & Gun Flint Tavern, Katie Claire Schuler of Caribou Highlands Lodge, and Christian Semon of Trail Center (not pictured). 

1. Nominees from the Lutsen-Tofte-Schroeder Tourism Association: Katie Claire Schuler, Dakota Marshall, Tabitha Blanchard, Martha Finley, Sue Johnson
2. Nominees from the Grand Marais Area Tourism Association: Adam Roen, Autumn Sturm, Amy Lehto
3. Nominees from the Gunflint Trail Association: Clay Warburton, Maddy Frawley, Carson LaRocque, Christian Semon (not pictured) 
4. Nominees from Grand Portage: Marcus Logan, Jasmine Coatie, not pictured: Rick Rankin, Brett Turner, Jackie Leopold

Chamber Business Awards - Business Leader of the Year

Chamber Business Leader of the Year: Dee Brazell of World's Best Donuts

All nominees pictured left to right: John Fredrikson, Kat Meyo, Dee Brazell, Cassidy Gecas, Britt Zieroth, Parker & Katie Slanga, Joran Plummer (not pictured)

Chamber Business Awards - Entrepreneur of the Year

Entrepreneur of the Year: Thom & Jelena McAleer of Jameson Grace Hospitality

All nominees pictured left to right: Abby Tofte, Thom & Jelena McAleer, Alex Beebe-Giudice & Christine Sayler. Not pictured: Satinder (Sam) and Sara Bains, Brooke Youngdahl & Kelsi Williams

Chamber Business Awards - Business of the Year

Business of the Year: Up Yonder at Harbor Light

All nominees pictured left to right: WTIP Community Radio, Cook County Co-op, Joy & Company, The Fisherman's Daughter, Up Yonder at Harbor Light

Chamber Business Awards - Norman Deschampe Community Service Award

Norman Deschampe Community Service Award: Shele Toftey

Chris Homyak & Linda Jurek pictured with nominees Steve Surbaugh and Shele Toftey

Legislative tour around Cook County - October 26, 2023

Linda Jurek on stage with the legislators present during the 2023 Fall Gala pictured from left to right: Linda Jurek of Visit Cook County & the Cook County Chamber of Commerce, Representative Roger Skraba, IRRRB Commissioner Ida Rukavina, Senator Grant Hauschild, and Chamber lobbyist Judy Erickson of Conservation Strategies. 

1. Rena Rogers, Roger Skraba, Dustin Hanson, and Grant Hauschild review plans for North Shore Waste
2. Linda Jurek and IRRRB Commissioner Ida Rukavina on the tour