Apr. 9—GRAND FORKS — The winners of the Grand Awards were announced Tuesday evening, April 8, at The Opal Event Center in The Olive Ann Hotel. This was the third annual Grand Awards event, which honors outstanding entrepreneurs in Greater Grand Forks.
Seven business leaders were honored, including Grand Forks native Deanna "Dee" Decimus Holmes, who was recognized as North Dakota Small Business Person of the Year. She was selected for this honor by the U.S. Small Business Administration for her hard work, innovation and dedication to the small business community.
As the event began, the master of ceremonies Blue Weber looked over the crowd and expressed his delight at the number of attendees.
"This event has grown from a room of 40, to this," said Weber, a SCORE Grand Forks mentor community outreach liaison with Bolton and Menk, Inc., an engineering, design and planning solutions firm. Official headcount was later reported as 102.
This year's Grand Award recipients are:
Sky's the Limit Award — Three Farm Daughters (Mollie Ficocello, Annie Gorder and Grace Lunski). Award presenter Sadie Gardner said the sisters took a multi-generational family farm business "and created an entirely new venture," developing products that can be found at Bernie's, Ely's Ivy and Toasted Frog restaurants, among other businesses. Gardner cited a nomination letter that read "(this company) has hit the world's stage running."
True Grit Award — Coty Kraft, a hair stylist who owns her business within Attractions Salon. A nomination letter lauded her dedication to her clients, including an elderly woman who could no longer come to the salon, so Kraft goes to her home to provide hair-styling services.
Social Impact Award — Klaudia Holkup, founder of Klaudia & Company and former international model and Mrs. North Dakota America. Presenter Kay Derry cited Holkup's deep-held interest in giving back to the community by involvement with Northlands Rescue Mission, the CVIC, and Project Dignity, among others.
Trailblazer Award — Alyssa Kaste, owner, Express Employment Professionals. An introduction cited her as "a woman who deserves recognition" and a nomination letter praised her as "a remarkable leader and visionary business owner. Kaste, who could not attend in person, provided a video of her thanks and appreciation.
Deep Roots Award — David Badman, metalsmith, jewelry designer and owner of Badman Design, who started his business 37 years ago, shortly after graduating from the art program at UND. He has mentored many artists and has a presence on the shopping channel QVC, according to an introduction. He was unable to attend the event.