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Chamber honors best companies of Summit County at annual awards ceremony

Employees from The Pinnacle Companies pose for a group photo after the company was named the Best Large Business during the 2019 Kaiser Permanente Business Excellence Awards on Thursday at the Silverthorne Pavilion. Pictured are, from left, Andrea Kavouklis, Mitch Walker, Stephen Traweek and Kayla Johnson in the back row with Russ Whitt and Dustin Johnson in the front.
And Two Were Tamed Photography

The achievements of local businesses were front and center for the 2019 Kaiser Permanente Business Excellence Awards, presented on Thursday by the Summit Chamber of Commerce at the Silverthorne Pavilion.

Coming into the awards ceremony, the chamber had received a record number of nominations for its annual effort to recognize the imagination, innovation and achievements of companies across Summit County.

As such, the field was the most diverse group yet with 146 nominees in 10 categories, including a number for women and minority-owned businesses, according to the chamber.



During the awards gala, the town of Frisco was named the Best Place to Work, an award that recognizes a business or organization for employee satisfaction in the workplace.

“I am incredibly proud to be a part of ‘Team Frisco,’” said Nancy Kerry, Frisco’s town manager. “It’s an honor for the town of Frisco to be nominated, especially as a public agency competing with private sector businesses. I wholeheartedly agree it is the ‘#BestPlacetoWork’.”



And it was another big night for The Pinnacle Companies, too. After being named the Best Place to Work in 2018, The Pinnacle Companies was recognized this year as the Best Large Company.

The Pinnacle Companies is the overarching umbrella covering a variety of local businesses, including Pinnacle Mountain Homes, Pinnacle Lodging, VisitBreck and Collective Design + Furnishings.

Pinnacle is also a supporting partner in Pure Kitchen, as the company’s reach spans a variety of industries, from hospitality and travel to design, construction and retail. Accepting the award on behalf of the company’s founder and president, Chris Renner, along with the rest of the organization, was vice president of marketing Andrea Kavouklis.

“We are so proud to be part of this community and all the great things going on with business, growth and people,” she said. “We are here trying to do our part in each of those, and it feels great to be recognized for that.”

The Pinnacle Companies was chosen for the award for its growth, innovation, customer service, focus on Summit County and commitment to supporting the community through its philanthropic wing, Pinnacle Gives.

In 2018, Pinnacle launched a number of new initiatives and ventures, including starting Pinnacle Gives to better organize and boost its support of local nonprofits, in addition to building a new, premier headquarters building in Frisco.

Pinnacle also introduced two new offerings to Summit County commerce with a new the retail home furnishings boutique called “Collective Design + Furnishings” and Pure Kitchen, a new restaurant that’s focused on plating fresh, seasonal, organic and local ingredients.

The complete list of awards presented during the 2019 Business Excellence Awards is as follows:

Best Place to Work: Town of Frisco

Workplace Wellness Champion: Howard Head Sports Medicine

Customer Service Champ: Sunshine Café

Ben Fogle Award: Miranda Fisher, general manager of Always Mountain Time, for her volunteerism

Marketing Champ (tie): Majestic Mountain Movers and Lodge at Breckenridge

Environmental Camp: Mountain Roots Garden Care

Best New Business: Sunny Side Up

Best Business, Small: EVO3 Workspace

Best Business, Medium: Sauce on the Blue

Best Business, Large: Pinnacle Companies


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