Excellence in Business Leadership Awards returns to The Grand in November
The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce will host the Excellence in Business Leadership Awards Night presented by Imperial Industries at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 16 at The Grand Theater in downtown Wausau. The evening will include four awards, including the James J. McIntyre Cornerstone Award, the G. Lane Ware Innovator Award, the Liz Tillisch Heart of the Chamber Award and the 41st ATHENA Leadership Award.
Doors will open for the event at 5 p.m. with an hour-long program beginning at 6 p.m. The Awards program will be followed in the Great Hall by a cocktail reception and appetizers.
“The greater Wausau business community has much to be proud of!” said Dave Eckmann, President and CEO of the Chamber. “It is through strong, passionate and dedicated leaders that our community thrives.”
The recipient of the 2026 James J. McIntyre Cornerstone Award, sponsored by the Greenheck Group, is Mary Jo Johnson. Johnson is the CEO and owner of EO Johnson Business Technologies.
The recipient of the G. Lane Ware Innovator Award, sponsored by Ruder Ware LLSC, is the Grebe’s family who have operated the Wausau business bearing their last name since 1946.
The recipient of the Liz Tillisch Heart of the Chamber Award is Dean Dietrich. Dietrich is an attorney with Weld Riley in Wausau and is a former president of the State Bar of Wisconsin.
The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce has one of the longest-running and most established ATHENA programs in the US. The ATHENA Leadership Award is presented to women or men in recognition of their professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. The sponsor of the ATHENA Leadership Award for all 41 years of its existence in Wausau is O’Malley Cadillac Honda.
The finalists for the 41st annual ATHENA Leadership Award are:
- Samantha Diedrich
- JoAnn Draeger
- Nicole Gaiche
- Linda Koepke
- Erika Van De Yacht
The Excellence in Business Leadership Awards Night is presented by Imperial Industries. The award sponsors are listed above. The platinum sponsors for the event are JP Morgan Chase Bank and The Dirks Group, the gold sponsors are Jim Kryshak Jewelers and Park City Credit Union. The print media sponsor is The Business News.
Sponsorships for the event are still available. For more information on sponsorships, contact Kaycee Packard at kpackard@wausauchamber.com or 715-848-5955.
Tickets are $75 and the event is open to the public. For more information or to register, visit WausauChamber.com.
