Sunday, February 9, 2025

Congratulations to Chamber award winners, Triton students

Congratulations are in order this week to two individuals honored at last Friday night’s Kasson Chamber of Commerce dinner and annual meeting.

Tanya Young was named Business Person of the Year and Kirk Swenson received the Chamber’s Legacy Award.

Young is well-known in Kasson and Dodge County for work with several nonprofit and community groups, primarily the Ready Set Learn program and the Dodge County Salvation Army.

Ready Set Learn of Dodge County provides backpacks and supplies for local children at the beginning of each school year. The program has been a success, growing from giving out 100 backpacks to the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year when more than 500 were distributed.

Dodge County has also been fortunate to have a local leadership team in place to oversee Salvation Army activities in the county. Young leads that leadership team. The reason having a local team leading the program is important is because it allows all the money raised in Dodge County to stay local. That is important, especially when we consider that the more than $30,000 raised through the Red Kettle campaign last Christmas season will be used to help our neighbors right here in the county.

Funds raised help support a variety of Salvation Army activities locally including disaster relief, help with food and clothing vouches, assisting those who might need help with transportation or rent or car repairs.

In addition to her work with these two organizations, Young is employed at Ziebell Law and helps in a variety of Chamber of Commerce activities.

The Kasson Chamber also gives out a Legacy Award yearly to honor someone who has a strong history of service and support to the community. This year that award was given to Kirk Swenson of 1 Stop Realty. The business also celebrated 50 years in 2023, originally founded by Swenson’s father, Warren. Kirk Swenson joined the business in 1979 specializing in farm sales and management and he has continued to lead the company into the future and has continued to help clients with their agricultural land needs as well as general real estate needs.

As a long-time member of the Kasson Chamber of Commerce he has been a strong advocate for the “shop local” idea. Shopping locally, of course, is a great way to support the community.

Both of these individuals are deserving of the recognition they received from the Chamber.

It takes strong support from individuals to make a strong community.

Triton BPA students

Leaders like Young and Swenson help make a community successful and over at Triton High School students in the Business Professionals of American (BPA)

Chapter are already well on their way to being those leaders of the future.

Last month the Triton BPA members competed at the Regional Competition in a variety of areas. When the competition was done, 35 members of the Triton group had qualified for the State Leadership Conference in Minneapolis next month. The Chapter had the largest number of Triton students ever competing as well as the largest number of State Trip winners.

These young people will be the leaders in our communities in the future and they certainly deserve congratulations, as does their Advisor Rebecca Goossens.

 

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Dodge County Independent

Dodge County Independent
Dodge County ADvantage
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

Dodge County Printing
301 S. Mantorville Ave.
Plaza 57 • Suite 200
Kasson, MN 55944

507-634-7503
 
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