SYCAMORE CHAMBER BUSINESS AWARDS 

The Sycamore Chamber invites you to nominate an exceptional Chamber Member businesses to receive one of five awards given by the Chamber at the Sycamore Chamber Annual Meeting held in January annually.  To nominate a local business please fill out the 2023 Outstanding Business Awards Nomination Form and return it to the Chamber by January 5, 2024.

Outstanding Business of the Year

Criteria:

1. The business must be a member of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce and have over 20 employees.
2. The business must have been in operation in the Sycamore area for at least five years.
3. The business must continually demonstrate integrity and ethics in business dealings.
4. The business must have positively influenced the economic vitality of the Sycamore community.
5. The business must have historically demonstrated outstanding contributions to the Sycamore Community.
6. The business must contribute significantly to the Chambers vision of making Sycamore a premier place to work and live by being the voice of businesses, providing leadership and enhancing partnerships.

Past Recipients: 2005 – Castle Bank       2006 – Ideal Industries      2007 – The Suter Company
2008 – Sycamore School District       2009 – Browns County Market        2010 – YMCA 
2011 – American Midwest Bank         2012 – Driv-Lok, Inc.      2013 – NB&T       2014 – KishHealth System
2015 – AutoMeter Products       2016 – Hy-Vee       2017 – Opportunity House
2018 – DeKalb Sycamore Chevrolet         2019 – Family Service Agency      2020/2021 – Upstaging Inc.
2022 – Resource Bank

 

Spirit of Small Business Award

Criteria:

1. The business must be a member of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce and have 20 or less employees.
2. The business must have been in operation in the Sycamore area for at least three years.
3. The business must continually demonstrate integrity and ethics in business dealings.
4. The business must have historically demonstrated outstanding contributions to the Sycamore Community.
5. The business must contribute significantly to the Chambers vision of making Sycamore a premier place to work and live by being the voice of businesses, providing leadership and enhancing partnerships.

Past Recipients: 2007 – Kar-Fre Flowers       2008 – B95       2009 – Banner Up Signs        2010 – Sweet Earth
2011 – Sycamore Theater        2012 – DeKalb County Farm Bureau         2013 – Barnaby Printing
2014 – Blumen Gardens       2015 – Pay-It-Forward House       2016 – Culvers       2017 – Taxco Restaurant
2018  – Tom & Jerry’s of Sycamore and Catering by Diann          2019  –  PJ’s Courthouse  Tavern
2020/2021 – OLT Marketing         2022 – Manny Pena American Family Insurance

 

Community Diamond Award

 Criteria:

1. The business/organization/municipality/non-profit must have made significant improvement(s) to their business, business location, or to the Sycamore Community as a whole.  (New property development and improvement, new/or additional landscaping, interior remodeling, exterior or structural improvements, or development of new structures or building that improve the area it resides in or Sycamore in general, etc.).
2. This improvement must have shown commitment to the entire Sycamore Community.
3. The improvement must have been completed or in the process of completing within the past five years.
4. The business must have been a Sycamore Chamber Member for at least three years.

Past Recipients: 2004 – The City of Sycamore       2005 – Blumen Gardens  2007 – Upstaging
2008 – Auto Meter        2009 – Kishwaukee Community Hospital       2010 – Stomp
2011 – Chapel in the Pines/Amber Pines       2012 – Jane Fargo Hotel and Mitchel Lounge
2013 – DeKalb Sycamore Chevrolet       2014 – Sycamore Public Library       2015 – DCCF
2016 – Resource Bank       2017 – Illinois Community Credit Union
2018 – Sycamore Forest Preserve and DeKalb County       2019 – Sycamore Park District
2020/2021 – Communities By Grainger        2022 – Sycamore State Theatre

THE PROCESS

• An Awards Committee (consisting of Board Members, Chamber Members, and Chamber Staff) will solicit nominations from the Membership
• The committee will review and prepare a slate of nominees for final approval by the Chamber’s Executive Committee at least one month prior to Annual Meeting – March 7, 2024
• Nominees will not be made public
• Nominations may be submitted at any time prior to designated deadline – set annually
• Recipients will be recognized at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting – March 7, 2024
• If the committee feels there is not a clear recipient the award will not be given out that year