Stateline Chamber of Commerce revamping and expanding awards recognition
The Stateline Chamber of Commerce has restructured their awards program to allow final voting of winners to be determined by the public instead of the Chamber.
Honoring the people and businesses that make the Stateline great has been an integral part of action taken by the Stateline Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years.
This year, the Chamber is taking a new approach to choosing an increased number of award recipients who truly make a mark on their community, while recognizing outstanding work and dedication with a revamped and expanded awards program.
To submit a nomination for The Stateline Honors, visit thestatelinehonors.com.
The names of the finalists will be announced just prior to public voting. Public voting to determine the winner from the finalists in each category opens from Jan. 14 - Jan. 28.
“We've had the same awards system and process - with minimal updates” for years, Stateline Chamber Vice President Ryan Rydell said.
“We wanted a way to honor more people who deserve recognition - while filling a gap that other local award systems have, and by making these awards more about the business itself, not how many ads we can sell or how many times one person can click a link.”
The former awards process allowed both Chamber members and the public to nominate businesses or individuals who they felt earned recognition for their work in different fields of the community, with a few changes in categories being made over the years.
From these votes, three finalists were chosen, and a winner was chosen based on the number of votes received. Most programs allowed voting multiple times.
In the past a total of six awards, plus two specific Chamber of Commerce related awards were given and received at the Chamber's Annual Awards gala.
Past winners were chosen in the categories of New Business (honoring the entrepreneurial spirit), Large Business, Small Business (all businesses were required to be a member of the Chamber), Pride of the Stateline, Community Service, Ambassador of the Year, Chamber Champion, and the highest honor at that time was the Cyndy Fogarty Lifetime Achievement Award.
The new “Stateline Honors” is a new awards program set up to celebrate regional excellence, but without the click-farming and popularity contests.
It also incorporates modern online systems, improved communication, transparency, and accessibility for nominees and voters.
This is a completely reimagined awards program designed to spotlight the people, businesses, and organizations that elevate the Stateline region.
This new program replaces previous Chamber award formats and introduces a modern, community-powered platform reflecting the growth, diversity, and personality of the Stateline.
“Unlike other community award systems that rely on repetitive voting, ad-driven campaigns, and popularity over substance, The Stateline Honors is built to recognize deserving winners through a fair and transparent process,” Rydell said.
New categories for the Stateline Honors span from leadership to community service, non-profits, general business, industry excellence,and more.
Nominations are completely open, eligible for all businesses and individuals, not just Chamber members.
Voting started in December for Chamber members, peers, and the public.
After all of the nominations are counted and reviewed from the first set of votes, the top three in each category will become finalists.
One vote per category per person is allowed, which eliminates repeat-vote loopholes used in other contests, such as repetitive voting and unfair ballot-stuffing. Users must be from within the Stateline area to vote.
When choosing award recipients, the criteria that is taken into account is: the total number of nominations, the content and quality of a nomination, and qualification (having a presence within the 25-mile radius of Roscoe. IL.
If two of the nominees have an equal number of votes, a tiebreaker will be decided by chamber member status and an unbiased, non-stakeholder panel of advisors.
Residents and professionals alike can help celebrate the people who truly make a difference.
Winners of each category will receive “The Stately,” a custom-designed, high-quality glass award created exclusively for The Stateline Honors.
“This is the biggest evolution of our awards program in Chamber history,” said Rydell. “We wanted something that wasn’t just another popularity contest or ad-sales engine.
The Stateline Honors is powered by real community input, and The Stately will be a mark of achievement people can be proud of.”
The Chamber deliberately redesigned the awards to break away from the “clickbait voting model used by other programs."
Key upgrades include: A fully independent awards program with its own identity and signature trophy. No national program restrictions, and never asking to buy an advertisement.
The Stateline Honors will now be presented to 24 award winners from the area.
A new pinnacle recognition will introduce “The Stately Summit Award, “chosen from the most impactful of the nominations. This award will be the highest honor of all the recipients.
Rydell stresses, “We’re not just copying some national program, and we’re not using these awards to sell advertising. You won’t be able to buy or click your way into winning a Stately. This is about community - recognizing the people who genuinely move our region forward.”
Under consideration is a formal in-person event in the future, as has been done with past awards presentations.
Who do you feel or know deserves special recognition? Cast your vote to nominate someone whom you feel the Stateline Chamber of Commerce should consider for one of the new Stateline Honors Stately” awards!
