[Date]
Alpha Kappa Psi
Delta Upsilon Chapter
Idaho State University
Delta Upsilon Chapter,
In March you gave me the tremendous honor of being the [xx]th anniversary recipient of the Idaho Business Leader of the Year award. I treasure the time that my management team and I were able to spend in the classrooms of the ISU College of Business and the relationships that we made with the then student members of your fraternity, your faculty and the leadership of Idaho State University.
During the past 6 years, I have observed the tireless efforts of a determined business leader from [City] Idaho who I believe is very worthy of your consideration for the Idaho Business Leader of the Year award. The following pages detail some of the accomplishments of [Nominee] and his company, [Business]. As you read, I invite you to recognize not only the success that [Nominee] has had as a business owner and leader but perhaps more importantly, the character and values that are the motivating force behind his actions:
Unity
[Nominee] has assembled an outstanding team at [business] that is focused on providing the “World’s Finest Mine Support Equipment.” This team approach and commitment to excellence have allowed the company to grow from 20 to over 200 employees since 2000.
[Nominee] has been at the center of the establishment of several industrial and community organizations including:
Idaho Manufacturing Consortium
Ignite Hope Warming Shelter- a grassroots organization providing shelter, meals and comfort to the homeless in the [regional] area.
Service
[Nominee] serves on several regional and community boards covering multiple areas of emphasis including business, education, manufacturing, homelessness, and economic development.
Integrity
[Nominee] has worked in the manufacturing industry for over 40 years, beginning as an entry level laborer and working his way up through the ranks to later become president of the company. He has successfully managed and owned several companies over the years, all selling products through the [business] dealer organization. His longstanding relationship with [organization] and its dealers is based on []’s honesty and reliability.
Knowledge
[Nominee] is the creator of the [organization], a partnership between business and industry leaders, the local school district and local manufacturers. As a high school hybrid, the [Organization] will offer dual enrollment credits, industrial certifications and training for high school students in Northern Idaho. [Nominee] currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Executive Board for [Organization].
[Nominee] promotes professional development and ongoing training for all employees of [Business].
[Nominee] is actively involved in fundraising efforts for [Organization].
Brotherhood
[Nominee] is fully committed to his local community, especially the next generation of leaders that are currently in high school. He spends much of his free time volunteering in organizations designed to bridge the gap between business and education.
[Nominee] currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for the [city] Chamber of Commerce.
[Nominee] was named the [city] Citizen of the Year in 2008 to recognize his efforts in the local community.
I believe that [nominee] embodies the characteristics that define a great business leader and hope that you will carefully consider him as you evaluate your nominations for the Idaho Business Leader of the Year.
Best Regards,
**NOTE: The 5 main categories that were listed in this submission are our core values. While we do not require all 5 core values to be listed this is very helpful in our selection process.
Example 2
Nomination for the Idaho Business Leader of the Year
Nominee Name:
Business Name:
Business Phone:
Business Address:
Business Website:
Company Leadership
At the end of 2000 [Nominee] bought a small, struggling manufacturing company in [City], Idaho and saved 20 jobs. [Nominee]’s goal was to expand the product line of [product] the company produced and to take the company global. Today, [Business] is one of Idaho’s best success stories. It wasn’t an immediate turn around however. [Nominee] and [Business] have seen days of disparity, almost forced into bankruptcy in 2001. [Nominee]’s hard work, integrity and dedication to uniting a service driven “Dream Team” has allowed [Business] to grow to 4 factories and 225+ employees around the world. [Nominee] currently does business with over 45 countries worldwide and has seen sales soar in the last 3 years. The reason for the [Nominee]'s success:
“At [Business] we believe in ‘Creating the Team, and Building the Dream.’ Our workforce is the heart of our company, we take pride in all we do and it shows. We look forward to this continued success and sharing it with the community.”
Under [Nominee]’s leadership The [Business] has undergone a major expansion with a new state-of-the-art 85,000 square foot factory that triples its production capacities. Through his dedication and investment in Idaho, [Nominee] has increased [Business]’s factory square footage from 55,000 to 240,000, and grown its skilled labor workforce by more than 300% in the last 3 years.
[Nominees]’s commitment to Idaho and his local community is further proven through his decision to support his global growth locally through an Idaho engineering department and sales force that travels worldwide. Globally, [Business]’s factory in England (acquired in 2011) continues to thrive. A Peru location is slated for 2013, giving the after sales support, and field service a home base to better serve their Latin American customers.
Community Service
[Nominee] serves diligently in his community. Under his leadership and efforts the Technical Education Campus was born. He has also donated the use of a 4,000-square-foot warehouse to the community to be used as a warming center for the homeless.
[Nominee]’s integrity and ethical community & business practices have an unintended benefit to his company. His company culture facilitates employee retention. [Nominee] is willing to work with his employees in any fashion to make sure they are healthy and happy in their work environment. Because of his devout commitment to the community and his employees, he was named the Citizen of the Year in 2008. [Nominee] was also named “Large Company of the Year” for 2009 by the [City] Chamber of Commerce.
Public service (elected or appointed offices):
Technical Education Campus Board of Directors
Pacific N.W. Economic Region (PNWER) appointed by Governor Otter
Idaho College Board of Trustees-Position C
Community service (service clubs, nonprofit boards, etc.):
[Organization] Vice Chair, Executive Board
Boys & Girls Club - Board Member
[Organization] – Founder & Board Chairman
NIC Booster Club - Board Member
Greene Idaho Foundation - Board Member
[City] Chamber of Commerce - Chairman of the Board
[Organization] Warming Shelter - Founding Board Member
[Organization] Perspectives
Concerned Businesses of [Organization] Idaho
Executive Manufacturers Roundtable
Dedication to Education
[Nominee] is the creator & vice-chair of the executive board for the [Organization] Technical Education Campus, a new school initiative that gives high school students the opportunity to attend a new technical school that was created to teach trade classes in addition to their current curriculum. [Nominee] helped lead the effort to the recent opening of [Organization] in [City], Idaho. [Nominee] had to be successful in bringing together three school districts and multiple local Legislators to accomplish this. [Nominee] has reached out to the rest of the state and met with legislators to encourage the statewide inclusion of Technical High Schools.
[Nominee] is driven to help his employees expand their knowledge base. To do this enables all of his employees to further their education and participate in direct job training. He has also set up a STRA program (School to Registered Apprenticeship). This is done in conjunction with the local high schools.
The courses have enabled all employees, from the floor to the upper levels, to have a say in the training programs, procedural creation and departmental operation throughout the company. Structured “on the job” training and “train the trainer” courses are very important for employee knowledge growth.
[Nominee] recently ran for the office of Idaho College Board of Trustees. At the time of this nomination it appears that the community has sustained him with their vote and he will begin yet another service role to his community. His reason for running for the position:
“The students in our community are our future leaders. The education they receive and how they are taught to manage their skills moving forward is key to their success. NIC holds the tools to educate and motivate our children in the right direction to ensure the future of [] Idaho moving forward. As a business leader, I'm in a unique position to bridge the gap between education and local businesses - creating a WIN, WIN, WIN - for NIC, the students and future local employers. I'll help re-engage the “Voice” of the local community to our [Local] Idaho “Community” College.
Attached Articles about [Nominee]:
**Articles have been deleted from this example. [] indicate where the name or information about the nominee or nominator have been removed.
**NOTE: While this individual has received many other awards, past awards are not required to become the Idaho Business Leader of the Year. We largely focus on an individuals leadership, community service, and brotherhood in making our selection. The selection process removes names to avoid bias in selection and focuses only on what this leader does that sets them apart.