The 4th Annual Pioneer Event is nearly a month away!
As we put the finishing touches on our event on May 7th at The Fairfield, we wanted to share with you this year’s finalists for the NEI Pioneer of the Year.
For the 2025 event, Dan Starr, CEO of Do it Best, was the Pioneer of the Year. This year’s group of finalists features wide-ranging stories of resilience, innovation, and sticktoitiveness.
Below are the finalists, and the community voting is OPEN! You can vote HERE or at pioneerstartshere.com/vote. Share the voting form with friends, co-workers, and family to help move your nominees to the next stage.
Category winners will be announced, and the final voting to determine the Pioneer of the Year will happen live during the event! If you have not done so already, RSVP for this year’s event.
The nine you’ll be voting for are:
Brand Champion Category
Rob Mitrevski – President of Gold Dome Strategies & Integration for L3 Harris
Lance Clark – Co-Founder of Forester Film
Brandon Gerber – Founder & Steward of BCG Capital
Entrepreneur Category
Edwin Chow – Founder of Summit City Climbing Co.
Chris Ratay – General Manager of The Bradley Hotel
Jerod Hevel – Vice President of Innovation & Strategy for Rival
Social Impact Category
Kent Castleman – Executive Director of Fort Wayne Trails
Tomi Cardin – Founder & CEO of Redemption House
Ashley Wagner – Marketing Manager of YLNI Farmers Market
As you’ll see from each of their videos, the stories are great, and we’re excited to honor all our Pioneers on May 7th!
We’re looking forward to seeing you all there!
-SACKETT!!!
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