ALEXANDRIA — Five women under 40 who are thriving in their careers.
Last year's Chamber of Commerce president who encouraged Alexandrians to "catch the passion" of their community.
This year's Chamber president who urged residents to be "better than yesterday."
A "presidential" woman who has shown passion and enthusiasm for her work with the Boy Scouts.
All of these people and a few more were honored during the
Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce's annual celebration
on Monday, Jan. 30 at Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center.
One of the highlights of the evening was honoring the “Top 5 Under 40 Young Professionals,” who were selected by the Chamber and the Echo Press. Nominees were judged on their professional achievements, community involvement and overall depth of qualities. This years honorees included:
- Samantha Beckman, 33, vice president of marketing for Knute Nelson.
- Laura Hagstrom, 39, senior project manager for Hagstrom Engineering.
- Carley Noetzelman, 33, finance and human resources director for the Alexandria Area YMCA.
- Brandy Quam, 33, controller for Douglas Machine.
- Kristie Van Ahn-Kjeseth, 36, chief operating officer for Van Ahn and Company, Inc.
Matt Gilbertson, vice president of Viking Bank and last year's Chamber president, said his year at the helm went by "really quick" and events, such as the annual Duffer's Delight, which raised more than $20,000, were successful. He said it was fun seeing his theme logo, "Catch the Passion," displayed throughout the community.
It was also exciting, Gilbertson said, to see the Chamber's continued growth with close to 650 members. The amount of Chamber Bucks that were distributed locally also increased, rising to a record $177,059 in 2022. Alomere Health received an award as the largest distributor of Chamber Bucks.
Tyler Notch, executive director of Grand Arbor, announced his theme for 2023 — "Better Than Yesterday." He described it as an effort to do a little bit better each and every day. The daily effort, he said, can be simple, such as leaving an extra-large tip or doing a few more push-ups.
Notch encouraged all those attending to achieve a goal this year of making at least one "touch point" with the Chamber each month through a phone call or attending Chamber meetings.
The "Friend of the Chamber" award was given to Kayla Fearing, director of marketing for Hilltop Lumber. The award, established in 1990, represents someone who has gone beyond expectations in giving time, resources or influence to benefit the Chamber and its members. Fearing is the youngest recipient of the award.
One of Fearing's first jobs was being the Visitor Center coordinator for the Chamber. She later moved into the role of marketing and communications coordinator. She was also a staff member of the Chamber for three years, was a member of the Chamber's Alexandria Area Young Professionals, served on the Leadership team for three years, and was a member of the Chamber's Membership Team.
A new award was presented at the celebration — the President's Award, which recognized someone who best exemplified the Chamber theme for the year. Gilbertson selected Brenda Thomson, district executive for the Prairie Fire District of the Northern Lights Council, Boy Scouts of America. Gilbertson said Thomson showed a strong passion to the Boy Scouts organization throughout the year.
He gave an example: For her birthday, Thomson said that instead of gifts, she told her family and friends to consider giving donations to the Northern Lights Council instead. Thomson is also a member of the Rotary and the Chamber.
The Chamber Membership Team selected its Member of the Year — Chris Harris, who attended 37 of the team's 44 visits in 2022. The Chamber Ambassador of the Year was Tim Urness.
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