Anna Stern, vice president of Tri-North Builders, was named Executive of the Year during In Business Madison’s annual Business of the Year awards program on Thursday, which featured a festive networking reception and dinner at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.
Stern was joined by five other category winners, including Pellitteri Waste Systems as Family Business of the Year and United Way of Dane County and Ascendium Education Group as co-winners in the category of Charitable Nonprofit of the Year.
Awards also were given for Large, Medium and Small Business of the Year.
“It’s fantastic,” Stern said of the award. “Honestly, it’s such an honor. Madison has such an amazing business community, and I obviously did not expect to win because we have so many quality people.
“All of the finalists were really fantastic,” she said, “so it means a lot, and it means a lot that our community recognizes business leaders, and that In Business does.”
Summit Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative led by CEO Kim Sponem, was the winner in the Large Business category, where finalists included companies of more than 100 employees.
Standard Imaging, a manufacturer of instrumentation for radiation calibration and quality assurance for health care — led by president and CEO Eric DeWerd — was the winner in the Medium Business category (51-100 employees). SupraNet, an internet service provider and data center operator led by CEO and founder Bryan Chan, was the winner in the Small Business category (1-50 employees).
The Business of the Year Awards program, a sold-out event attended by 350 guests, celebrated exemplary organizations and the most influential executives in Wisconsin’s Capital Region. Nominations were submitted to In Business Madison, which chose finalists in each category. Organizations nominated were headquartered in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock or Sauk counties.
A panel of three Business of the Year judges evaluated each of the finalists, then met virtually to compare scores and determine category winners. Each finalist was rated based on qualities including experience, service/product, accomplishments and charitable initiatives.
Suvekchhya “Suve” Bhandari, assistant vice president and portfolio manager for the Madison office of BMO US Bank, Bob Wahlin, president and CEO of Stoughton Trailers and Jill Wood, managing director of development for the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce served as this year’s judges.
In the Executive of the Year category,judges noted that Stern stood out for her contributions to the revenue growth of Tri-North, a local construction management company, and the example she has set for women in the construction industry, her strength in DEI and workforce leadership, and her leading role in the company’s charitable initiatives for organizations such as Kids Building Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin’s Carbone Cancer Center.
All finalists in each category (with the winner in bold) are as follows:
Executive of the Year finalists
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Rafeeq Asad. vice president and director of team development, JLA Architects
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Ben Camp, CEO and co-founder, Recovery.com
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Luke Gugel, co-founder & executive managing partner, Common Core Marketing
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Angela Kinderman, president and CEO, Fitchburg Chamber Visitor + Business Bureau
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Barry Richter, president and CEO, Hausmann Group, Inc.
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Anna Stern, vice president, Tri-North Builders (winner)
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John Zimdars, president, The Zimdars Company
Family Business of the Year Finalists
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Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream
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Christofferson Moving & Storage
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Daniels Construction
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ERI Floral
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GenComm
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KennedyC
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NCG Hospitality
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Pellitteri Waste Systems (winner)
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Rhyme
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Schumann Printers, Inc.
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Sergenian’s Floor Coverings
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Tri-North Builders
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Vera’s House of Bridals
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Wind River Payments
Charitable Nonprofit Finalists
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Ascendium Education Group (co-winner)
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Canopy Center
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Catalyst for Change
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Children’s Theater of Madison
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Felicia’s Donation Closet, Inc.
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Focused Interruption, Inc.
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GiGi’s Playhouse Madison
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Girls on the Run of South Central Wisconsin
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Maydm
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Mercy Dental Missions
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Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison
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United Way of Dane County (co-winner)
Small Business Finalists
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Alvarado Real Estate Group
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Blue Plate Catering, Inc.
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Fickett Structural Solutions, Inc.
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Herbal Aspect
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Johnson Generational
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LIFT Consulting
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Madison Development Corporation
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Orthodontic Specialists of Madison
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Seven Hills Striping, Inc.
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Sprinkman Real Estate + Design
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Strategic Brand Marketing, LLC
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Sugar River Trading Company
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SupraNet (winner)
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SustainableHR PEO, LLC
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Top Tier LLC
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Western Landscape
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William Jon Salon and Spa
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Wisconsin Financial Services Inc.
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Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp.
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WisMed Assure
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Zodica Perfumery
Medium Business Finalists
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McDermott Top Shop
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Standard Imaging (winner)
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The Alexander Company
Large Business Finalists
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Dental Health Associates of Madison
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Findorff
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Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin
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Quartz
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Summit Credit Union (winner)
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Total Award Services Corp. (TASC)
