Large turnout for 3rd Annual Vernon County Awards held at Venue in the Valley

Nov. 9, 2025

COON VALLEY, Wis. – The third annual Vernon County Awards Banquet was a wonderful evening of celebration for all who attended. More than 200 community members, business leaders, and local officials came together to honor the people, businesses, and organizations shaping the region’s economic and community vitality.

This year’s theme, “Legacy Builders: Honoring Tradition, Embracing the Future,” highlighted the values of hard work, collaboration, and innovation that continue to define Vernon County. Nearly 100 nominees were recognized across ten award categories, reflecting the extraordinary breadth of leadership, creativity, and community spirit found throughout the county.

2025 Vernon County Award Winners:

· New Small Business of the Year: Kickapoo Hardware & Mercantile – La Farge

· Legacy Small Business of the Year: Viroqua Public Market – Viroqua

· Large Business of the Year: Emplify Health by Gundersen – Hillsboro

· Heritage Preservation & Cultural Development: History Alive Project – Westby

· Partnership for Progress: Vernon County Domestic Violence Initiative – Vernon County

· Young Leader of the Year: Julian Jamila-Wuerth – Youth Initiative High School, Viroqua

· Event of the Year: Snowflake Ski Jump – Westby

· Non-Profit Excellence Award: RedLou Library – Vernon County

· Community Impact Award: Wilmer “Butch” Pearson – Ontario

· People’s Choice Award: Readstown Collaborative Partnership – Readstown

“Our nominees and winners represent the heart of Vernon County,” said Larkin Breckel, Vernon County Economic Development and Marketing Coordinator. “They show what’s possible when we work together, support one another, and invest our time and talents into our communities. The banquet is an incredible evening — it’s such a joy to bring people together and celebrate so much positive work being done here in Vernon County.”

Held at The Venue in the Valley in Coon Valley, the banquet included networking, dinner, and keynote remarks from Steve Schulte, Director of Operations at Valley Fudge & Candy, and Staci Kring, Co-Founder of Birch Point Distillery.

“One of my favorite things this year was how many people came up afterward and shared that they had learned so much about what’s happening in the county,” said Breckel. “Whether it’s discovering a new business to visit, meeting someone new over dinner, or gaining more awareness of what’s going on across Vernon County, I love how the awards give us all a chance not only to celebrate, but also to connect and engage with our community.”

The 2025 Vernon County Awards Banquet, themed “Legacy Builders: Honoring Tradition, Embracing the Future”, recognized outstanding businesses, organizations, and individuals dedicated to community vitality. The acceptance speeches highlighted themes of hard work, volunteerism, and the power of local connection.

Kicking off the business awards, Jim Hanson accepted the New Small Business of the Year award for Kickapoo Hardware & Mercantile, thanking the amazing team and noting that every business represents somebody’s dream and passion. Hanson encouraged others by saying, “Vernon County is a great place to invest in small business. If you have a dream, go get it”.

The Legacy Small Business of the Year award went to Viroqua Public Market, which has been serving the community for over two decades. Rachel Olson thanked their customers, over 120 vendors, and employees. Linking the win to the event’s theme, she stated: “Tonight’s theme is legacy builders. So I just wanted to take a minute to thank and honor my grandfather from the Philippines, who actually, in 1957 started a public market”.

For Large Business of the Year, Emplify Health by Gundersen was the winner, recognized for its commitment to community health and safety. Kristie McCoic accepted on behalf of the team, noting that the recognition meant a great deal to them: “on behalf of our team, we want to thank you for this recognition of our efforts each day to serve our community with exceptional quality and service”.

The Heritage Preservation & Cultural Development award was presented to the History Alive Project. Dave Amundson explained that the project began 12 years prior when they realized local high school students knew little about the area’s history. He outlined their expansive mission: “It reads as follows, the history live project creates out of the box projects to discover and maintain West beach area that’s Western Valley and chase work history to people of all ages, and that’s an important part to it. We say it to all ages”.

In the service category, the Partnership for Progress award celebrated collaboration for the greater good. Sheriff Roy Torgerson accepted the award for the Vernon County Domestic Violence Initiative. After thanking the event organizers and recognizing the initiative’s “brainchild,” Susan Townsley, and coordinator Janice Turben. Torgerson said “Susan was sick and tired of seeing the cycle of domestic violence repeat itself and wanted to make a difference. Janice has really brought the domestic abuse project here in Vernon County. Her presence helps to give those victims a voice.”

Torgerson emphasized that a major part of the Sheriff’s Office’s job, beyond safety and security, is demonstrating “empathy and compassion meeting with a domestic abuse victim, perhaps on the worst day of their lives”. The initiative helps law enforcement improve by allowing the team to check in with Janice on pending cases, network, and discuss how to “do better”.

Sheriff Torgerson concluded by saying, “I’ll close by saying, great job team, and I am truly blessed to serve as your sheriff in these beautiful hills and valleys of our county and the Driftless region”.

RedLou Library received the Non-Profit Excellence Award. Mary Mulvaney-Kemp shared that it took 20 years to get the organization’s idea into operation. She happily reported on their significant growth in readership:

“When we started, I was really hoping for 400 checkouts per month,” said Mulvaney-Kemp. “Currently, we are at 400 checkouts per week. With that said, we could not do this without our amazing team of volunteers and all the businesses that have supported and backed us. Volunteers who process books for us and come to all our sites and help check out all the books. Businesses who provide a storage for the van, storage for the books and financial support, facilities who welcome us into their facility for their residents and their clients, and, of course, the many, many individuals just like yourself who provide donated books and financial and encouragement and support for us”

The Community Impact Award recognized an individual making exceptional contributions. Wilmer “Butch” Pearson was the recipient, noted for volunteering his entire retirement. He congratulated the other nominees and shared his personal motivation for service: “You know, volunteering for me is such a joy, It keeps me young and I’m just so thankful that I’m able to continue to do that”.

The People’s Choice Award was given to the Readstown Collaborative Partnership, which brought together several local groups, including the library and historical society. Monica Matos, representing the collaboration, spoke about their successes and the importance of unity: “when we combine positive vision with collaboration, none of this would have happened without the collaboration, we can create a rising tide that lifts all boats”.

Finally, the Young Leader of the Year award went to Julian Jamila-Wuerth. The winner thanked various employers and organizations for teaching him skills, including Second Nature at Reeds Creek, Nelson Agri-Center and the fire department. His primary appreciation went to his family, stating, “It’s tough to say thank you to so many people, but I have a couple of specifics. So first of all, I’d really, really like to thank and appreciate my parents”.

The Event of the Year award was presented to the Snowflake Ski Jump, an event over 100 years old. Derek Lunde, current club president, emphasized that the recognition celebrates the volunteers’ effort: “We, the members of the snow good ski club, are deeply honored to accept the event of the year award. This recognition celebrates the magic our volunteers create together…”.

The Vernon County Community Development Department extended their sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the evening a success — from volunteers and nominators to the staff, supporters, and attendees who made the event such a warm and memorable celebration of community spirit.

The Vernon County Awards Program is an annual event hosted by the Vernon County Community Development Department that rotates throughout Vernon County, to recognize and celebrate the businesses, organizations, and people that make Vernon County a great place to grow a family, a business, and a future. For more information about the Vernon County Community Development, events, and programs, visit the Community Development Department tab at www.vernoncountywi.gov.