Local businesses and organizations have received awards recently for their efforts in their communities.
Three awards were given to members of the Emporia community Thursday night by the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Emporia Main Street, Flint Hills Technical College and Town Crier Bookstore were presented with awards at Thursday night’s Governor’s Award of Excellence on Main Street in recognition for their efforts toward downtown development and revitalization.
The award ceremony was a part of a three-day symposium in Hutchinson, which gave Kansas community developers and leaders a chance to go to workshops and participate in discussion groups regarding downtown development.
The symposium is sponsored by the Main Street Program of the Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas Downtown Development Association, Downtown Hutchinson Revitalization Partnership, Fox Theatre and the City of Hutchinson.
“We are thrilled to honor these deserving Kansas communities with the Governor’s Award of Excellence on Main Street,” said Secretary of Commerce David Kerr.
Kerr said the awards are given each year to individuals and organizations that have contributed to downtown development.
Emporia Main Street and Flint Hills Technical College were given an award for their efforts in economic reconstructing, entrepreneur class and loan program; Emporia Main Street was honored for their $40 million reinvestment in the Emporia community through a revolving loan fund; and Becky Smith of Town Crier Bookstore was honored as an outstanding merchant.
In other news, Grand Central Hotel in Cottonwood Falls was recognized by AAA, which announced its Four Diamond Award rating for 2008 in the lodging category.
This is Grand Central’s 11th consecutive year winning the award.
The award was presented to Suzan Barnes, owner and manager of the hotel. The Olive Tree Bistro of Wichita was recognized in the restaurant category.
According to a press release from AAA, the Four Diamond Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the hospitality industry.