The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber and Cornerstone Alliance have held their annual Business Recognition Awards, saluting businesses and organizations that continued to thrive in the past year despite the pandemic. The event was held virtually Wednesday, and 17 businesses or organizations received awards. Looking at a few highlights, the Microenterpsie Award went to Forte Coffee, while the Small Business of the Year was St. Joseph Dentistry. The Economic Impact Award went to Wightman, the Non-Profit Excellence Winner was the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, and the prestigious Pat Moody Award went to Horizon Bank’s David Eifler. Speaking of Pat Moody, his Moody on the Market was the recipient of the Excellence in Pandemic Reporting Award, and speaking of the pandemic, the Community Guardian Award went to the Berrien County Health Department for obvious reasons. On a related note, the Community Hero Award went to Lake Michigan College for stepping up to make PPE with its Fab Lab. Cornerstone Alliance President Rob Cleveland says 2020 “was a difficult year for everyone, but seeing the community step up and support our business community only aided in their resiliency and ability to survive.
