Honoring bosses, employees, business and
community difference makers for the past
year and kicking off a new year of
community building. This is our prime time
to encourage each other and build for the
future! It doesn’t happen without YOU!
About Juli
Multiple award winning teacher,
humorist and author, Juli makes an
amazing connection with her
audiences.
She is able to entertain with the ability
of a headlining comedian while either
motivating or training with ease as a
nationally recognized speaker. Juli has
been honored by her state as Artist of
the Year because of her ability to help
improve people’s lives through humor
and effective use of communication
tools.
She has worked in all 48 continental
United States and Canada, and has been commissioned by a variety of
associations from the National Endowment for the Arts to Fortune 500
companies to develop training programs that stick.
She has filmed for Showtime and HBO, along with making numerous
guest appearances on radio and television programs. Her humor is
insightful, delightful, universal and enlightening which ever topic she
presents.
2019
December
Northwest Iowa Regional Dream Big Grow Here Contest
Winners Announced
People from across the region gathered in Sioux City, Iowa on November 14th to attend the Northwest Iowa Regional Dream Big
Grow Here pitch competition to determine the recipients of $7,000 in grant funds and to support entrepreneurs and small businesses
throughout the region. Organizers of the competition are pleased to announce Grace Boutique from Sibley as the first-place winner
and recipient of $4,000. Brightside Café & Deli from Sioux City was awarded second place and $2,000, and Awaken Yoga from Le
Mars was awarded third place and $1,000. These funds are provided to the business owners to help expand their businesses in
northwest Iowa.
Awaken Yoga is the only yoga studio in Le Mars and creates a safe space for customers to explore stillness and movement and heal
from the inside out. Owner, Carmen Ohm, will use the grant funds to purchase software that will include a personal branded app for
clients to use when booking classes, as well as pursue additional certifications to be able to teach other aspiring yoga instructors.
The other Dream Big Grow Here finalists who pitched on November 14th included:
-
Daniel Stillson with SnSLabz from Rock Rapids
-
James VanVeldhuizen and John Emerick with Northwest Iowa Firearms from Hull
This is the fifth year the regional Dream Big Grow Here pitch competition has been held in Northwest Iowa and is a program for
entrepreneurs and small business owners to earn grant funds to start or grow their business. To participate, owners upload their
entrepreneurial expansion or startup ‘dreams’ during an online portion of the program. Dream entrants then encourage friends,
family, customers and other business owners to vote for them online to advance to the regional pitch off event.
Dream Big Grow Here is a program of University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Business Growth and Innovation. The Northwest Iowa
Regional Contest is organized and sponsored by the economic development organizations that are a part of Iowa’s West Coast
Initiative, Northwest Iowa Development and Siouxland Economic Development Corporation.
On behalf of the staff of the Plymouth County
Assessor’s Office we would like to nominate Jill
Renken as the LeMars Area Chamber of Commerce
4th Quarter Boss of the Quarter.
We are more than pleased to nominate our boss Jill
Renken, for Boss of the Quarter. Jill has been
employed in the Plymouth County Assessor’s Office
for 30 years. During her 30 years of service she
was first hired as the Clerk for the office. From there
she was appointed as a Deputy Assessor and soon
after to Chief Deputy Assessor. At the beginning of
2016 she was appointed to the Assessors position.
Jill has many qualities that make her a great
candidate for boss of the quarter. She shows
dedication and is conscientious about her work by
going the extra mile for inquiring tax payers. Her
professionalism and kind personality is top notch
even in the times of stressful situations. She is
humble and treats others like she would like to be
treated.
Jill treats her co-workers and employees with great
respect. Her years of knowledge and dedication
make the day to day questions and inquiries easy to
solve. She is respected by her co-workers and
employees due to her leadership skills, hard work,
and dedication. She is truly a one of a kind boss
that treats her employees like family.
It is a great honor that we nominate Jill Renken for
the LeMars Area Chamber of Commerce 2019 4th
Quarter Boss of the Quarter.
Jill Renken – Plymouth County Assessor Office Boss of the Quarter
December 2019
Chamber Coffee Schedule
