2025 Small Business of the Year Award Finalists Named

The Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists of the 2025 Small Business of the Year Awards. Eleven businesses and organizations have been named as finalists for the awards.

The Small Business of the Year Award recognizes business growth, community involvement and innovative efforts in the Wausau region. New in 2025, the recipients will be named during a livestreamed program at the Chamber’s Business EXPO at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 17.

“We are excited to offer the Small Business of the Year Awards in this new way this year,” said Brian Otten, marketing director with the Chamber. “The EXPO is a day-long celebration of businesses in our region and we thought that adding this awards program to the day was the perfect opportunity to spotlight these exceptional small businesses.”

Brad Hanson of WAOW Newsline 9 will serve as the emcee for the event.

The finalists in each of the categories are:

Business Award Finalists:

Charitable Non-Profit Award Finalists:

Each of this year’s finalists will be interviewed in the coming weeks, with the videos available on the Chamber’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The 2024 Small Business of the Year Award recipients were Van Ert Electric Company Inc in the Business category and Christmas in July Charity in the Charitable Non-Profit category.

Thousands will assemble on Thursday, April 17 at the Central Wisconsin Convention + Expo Center in Rothschild for Business EXPO 2025. The Business EXPO is the largest Chamber trade show in the nation and will feature hundreds of exhibitors. The EXPO features an exhibitor-to-exhibitor time from 9 a.m. to noon, before opening to the public from noon to 5 p.m. The event will feature a mascot parade at 1 p.m. and the Best In Show Awards will be presented around 3 p.m. Admission to the event is free with a business card or $20.

The EXPO will be followed by the Fun@EXPO networking event from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at bantr in Rothschild. Fun@EXPO is the region’s largest business networking event of the year, offering a unique opportunity to build new relationships and strengthen existing ones. Food and beverages at the event will be supplied by numerous Chamber member restaurants, caterers, distributors and breweries. Cost is $25 at the EXPO or at the door.

The Small Business of the Year Awards and Business EXPO are sponsored by M3 Insurance - Wausau at the presenting level, The Dirks Group, SDS Painting Company and Vitality Bar at the platinum level, by Ho-Chunk Gaming-Wittenberg and SUN Printing at the gold level, American Family Insurance – David Cooper Agency, In The Lite Electric, Jim Kryshak Jewelers, Northwest Tool & Manufacturing Company Inc, Spectrum Insurance Group LLC-Wausau and Yach’s Body & Custom at the silver level. Media sponsors for the week include Midwest Communications, The Business News and WAOW News 9. The printed map sponsor is RotoGraphic Printing Inc and the Best In Show Awards sponsor is Fully Promoted-Wausau.

Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Kaycee Packard, Programs & Events Specialist, at kpackard@wausauchamber.com or 715-848-5955 to learn more.

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