Butte businesses – including Steele’s, Pioneer Technical Services and Headframe Spirits -- received recognition from the Butte Local Development Corp. Thursday night during its annual awards dinner.
Kim and Dan Steele, owners of Steele's Furniture, TV and Appliance, 800 S. Wyoming St., won the inaugural Community Appreciation Award. The honor isn’t given each year -- only when a truly exceptional award candidate emerges.
“We had a situation where instead of fitting into three categories, we said let’s do a special award,” said BLDC Executive Director Jim Smitham.
The idea is in keeping with the intent behind the awards.
“There are businesses and individuals in our community out there that go above and beyond,” Smitham said. “They’re doing it because that’s the way they feel they should be doing business, not for recognition. (But) we feel that they deserve recognition.”
Part of what factors into awards is being a “good corporate citizen.”
Pioneer Technical Services, 1101 S. Montana St., received Business of the Year honors. The environmental remediation company moved into its new Montana Street location last year.
“They’ve put that building that sat vacant for several years to good use,” Smitham said.
John and Courtney McKee were named Entrepreneurs of the Year on the heels of their announcement of a planned major distillery and manufacturing site for their business, Headframe Spirits, at the Kelley Mineyard.