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PLATTSBURG — The North Country Chamber of Commerce’s 112th Annual Awards Dinner had all the “stars” in attendance for Friday night’s sold-out Viva Las Vegas-themed event.
More than 375 people attended the event and enjoyed the glitz of Neon City. From sequins and glitter to a casino atmosphere, everyone in attendance will honor his 2024 Business of the Year, Business Person of the Year, Small Business of the Year, and Trailblazer encouraged to play a role.
The Chamber also recognized the accomplishments of the 2023 Chamber Board Chairs.
“We believe the Chamber has once again selected and recognized an outstanding group of regional business leaders,” said Garry Douglas, Chamber President and CEO.
“From local businesses to small businesses to individuals, all businesses are making a positive difference to the Northern economy and continue to do so. We applaud and congratulate each and every one of them. .”
this year’s business
Northern favorite Stewarts Shops has been named the Chamber of Commerce’s coveted Business of the Year for 2024.
Although no stranger to awards, Stewarts Shops’ new chief operating officer Chad Keesoe called the honor “humble.”
“We’ve been doing our thing in the market there (in Plattsburgh) for quite some time,” Keesow said.
Overall, he said it’s been a great awards season for the business, which recently won New York State’s Best Milk and North American Best Eggnog awards, as well as several No. 1 spots for ice cream flavors in North America. He said it also included. Dairy products award.
“So it’s nice to be recognized that there wasn’t anything flashy or bright that needed recognition. It’s the daily local service that we do that draws the attention of the community. It seems like they’re collecting them, so I’m very happy.”
Stewart’s was founded in 1945 and has a strong presence in the North Country and beyond. The business began when the Dake brothers purchased a small dairy and ice cream business in Ballston Spa, which evolved into his first Stewart’s ice cream shop.
Now led by second and third generations of the Dake family, including Chairman Bill Dake and President Gary Dake, the company thrives as a family-owned and employee-owned company.
“Stewart’s project is an incredible upstate success story that plays a hugely positive role in the daily needs and lives of northern communities, including extensive philanthropy for many local causes.” said Douglas.
“And they never rest on their laurels, continuing to invest heavily in new and upgraded stores around the world. Thank you for your exemplary efforts.”
We currently have more than 350 locations in New York and southern Vermont and employ more than 5,000 people.
Looking to the future, Keeso said Stewart plans to continue looking for ways to expand its business, including adding stores and adding new products like this year’s chicken maple waffle sandwich.
“We have a lot of stores in a small density area in New York state. So we don’t look at a town and say, ‘There’s five stores there and we can cover everything.’ “There’s always going to be transportation patterns or communities that are underserved or that we don’t have access to, so we’re always going out and looking for other opportunities,” he said. I did.
“Rather than a typical storefront, we strive to be a meeting place, a restaurant, or whatever the local Stewart desires. We continue to enhance our fruit and food offerings, and especially We actually rotate different flavors and foods throughout the year to keep things fresh.”
Stewart says its success is driven by vertical integration, employee ownership and strong values.
As an example, Kiesow pointed out that there are ample opportunities for employees to advance.
“We’re very proud of our demographics. You can be a shift supervisor, you can be an assistant store manager, you can be a shop manager. And we certainly have district staff. ” he said.
“It’s always heartwarming to see someone who felt like they came to us to finish college look back 10 years later and know they found a career at Stewart. That’s a common story here.”
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