4th Annual iNpact Awards Set for February 17th; Nominations Being Accepted

Recognizing the best and brightest of the Independence business community will be the focus of the 4^th Annual iNpact awards program on Thursday, February 17^th hosted by the Independence Economic Development Council.  In addition to the iNpact awards, new awards will be presented this year to recognize a manufacturer of the year, small businesses of the year in 3 different categories, and an economic leadership  award.  All awards are open to businesses located within Independence.

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The iNpact award, formerly known as the Impact award, is given to Independence businesses which have met one of the two criteria for the award.  A company must have added at least 2 net new jobs and/or made $25,000 in capital investment during the 2010 calendar year.  If either of those thresholds is met, an award will be presented in this non-competitive program.  During last year’s award program, 28 companies were presented with Impact awards for their growth.   This year’s iNpact award is being sponsored by Stewardship Capital, LTD.

One of the two new award categories is the Manufacturer of the Year.  With the formation of the Independence Manufacturer’s Council in 2009, the manufacturing community has become more cohesive and collaborative and this will provide an opportunity to recognize excellence within this sector.  Nominations will be reviewed and a winner will be selected based on the company’s community involvement, innovative approaches to challenges, and their leadership within the Independence manufacturing community.  The 2010 Manufacturer of the Year Award is being presented by UMB Bank.

The other new award will be the naming of three Small Businesses of the year.  With over 90% of Independence businesses considered as small businesses, the competition will be fierce for this honor.  The 3 categories for this competitive award will include recognition of an “Emerging Company” which is a start-up that has been in business three years or less; a small business with 10 or fewer employees and a small business with between 11 and 50 employees.   Three finalists will be selected in each category and will be invited to attend the awards presentation.

Dr. Jim Hinson, Chairman of the Independence EDC Board of Directors will also be presenting the iNnovation Award that will honor a company or individual for their positive contributions to the economic growth of the Independence.

Nominations for all awards are being done electronically through the web site http://awards.inedc.biz and must be submitted no later than January 26^th.  For more information, contact the Independence EDC office at (816) 252-5777 or by e-mail at info@inedc.biz

The awards luncheon will be held at the Independence Events Center and begins at 11:30.  Cost is $30 per person and reservations can be made online at http://register.inedc.biz.