Schaumburg Business Association honors Harper College, individuals
About 400 people celebrated at the 15th anniversary of the Toast of Schaumburg formal awards event Friday evening, making it the largest celebration of its kind for the Schaumburg Business Association.
Members socialized at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel and celebrated as Harper College in Palatine was named winner of the Brian H. Burke Business of the Year award, the top honor of the evening. The award is named after the association's founder Brian Burke, CEO of Links Technology.
Harper College President Ken Ender was honored with the leadership award.
Other business award winners during the evening included Jim Edstein, who earned the volunteer of the year award. Edstein is CFO at Kayhan International and spends a great deal of time raising money for charity. He is on the executive committee for American Diabetes Association Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes and works with the NFL Alumni Association and Gateway for Cancer Research.
Lighthouse Emotional Wellness Center was named the Rookie of the Year.
One Five was the theme of the event. “One Five is a representation of who we are and what we believe. One organization based on five key pillars - relationships, economic development, advocacy, resource and community,” said Benjamin Olson, founder of 3 Monkeys & Aardvark Studios in Schaumburg. “Everything we do is measured against those fundamental pillars and it starts with relationships,” he said.
A steampunk theme was also part of the evening marking the industrious spirit meets technological innovation. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. It blends both the will to create with the fortitude to produce in any market. We have so many impactful business of all types and sizes that make this economy work. We believe Schaumburg is the central hub for this and celebrate our outstanding businesses and leaders tonight that are apart of our organization.