Sarpy Chamber Recognizes Business and Nonprofit Leaders at Annual Awards
Sarpy County’s business and nonprofit leaders gathered on October 8 at Embassy Suites Conference Center in La Vista to attend Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce’s (SarpyChamber.org) Annual Awards Celebration. Awards were given in six categories and to a special honoree for Chamber Excellence.
Midwest Medical Billing was named New or Emerging Business of the Year. Founder Jeanne Horseman took a home business and built it to three offices with 12 account mangers serving over 80 medical providers nationwide. They cover medical practices such as mental health, physical therapy, audiology, occupational speech therapy, pain management, physical medicine, and much more.
Moving Veterans Forward and Midlands Community Foundation tied for Nonprofit of the Year. Moving Veterans Forward is an outstanding organization that moves not only homeless veterans but their families as well. They give them an apartment, courtesy of Victory apartments, along with kitchen appliances, electronics, sofas, beds, desks, games, food for a month, and more. The Midlands Community Foundation has given over $8.5 million in grants to many local organizations since 1994. They also give out scholarships to students to help with the many expenses that come with higher education.
Adams & Sullivan P.C., LLO took the title of Business of the Year 1–24 Employees. They pride themselves on delivering effective and cost-efficient options for buying real estate or even starting a business. Since 1951 they have been helping many people all over Douglas and Sarpy county with their legal expertise. They practice in areas such as family law, insurance defense, criminal defense, and workers’ compensation.
PayPal was recognized as Business of the Year 25+ Employees. In 2018, their employees completed over 20,000 volunteer hours supporting 475 causes. Their team awarded nine Omaha nonprofits $65,000 in grant funds, with 20% of funds supporting financial inclusion programs. Their contributions also support young people in the community through grants to Youth Emergency Services and local schools.
The award for Elected Official of the Year was shared between the mayors of Sarpy County: Papillion Mayor David Black, Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike, La Vista Mayor Doug Kindig, Springfield Mayor Robert Roseland, and Gretna Mayor Jim Timmerman. The shared win reflected their collaborative spirit for the county’s growth in organizations like the United Cities of Sarpy County and the Sarpy Wastewater Agency.
The votes for Business Leader of the Year also resulted in a tie, honoring Ron Hernandez of Moving Veterans Forward and Travis Castle with American Family Insurance Castle & Associates.
Additionally, nine Chamber Excellence honorees were recognized for their support of the chamber: Lacey & Associates, Laura VanderWal, Geraud Gandemey, PenFed Credit Union, Angie Velardi, Ashley O’Neal, Soaring Wings Vineyard, Lucky Bucket Brewing Company, and Midlands Community Foundation. Midlands Community Foundation was further honored with the Chamber Excellence Award.
For more information on the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce please visit, www.SarpyChamber.org.
Pictured (L-R, front row): Ron Hernandez, Moving Veterans Forward; Ashley O’Neal, SignIt; Angie Velardi, Fairfield Inn & Suites Papillion; Jeanne Horseman, Midwest Medical Billing; (back row) Karen Gibler, Sarpy County Chamber; Travis Castle, American Family Insurance Castle & Associates; Tonee Gay, Midlands Community Foundation; Steve Wallace, PayPal; Pat Sullivan, Adams & Sullivan, P.C., LLO.