Business and Industrial Appreciation Day

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The Business & Industrial Appreciation Day (BIAD) event has honored a Douglas County company each year since 1984, and is recognized as one of the largest and longest standing annual events of its type in greater Minnesota. Annually, one company from the region is selected as the BIAD recipient based upon the following factors: Impact of the business on the job market, impact of the business on the local economy, capital investment; an indication of commitment by the business to increase community capacity and community contributions; evidence of the business' investment of time, skills, and resources to assist in community oriented projects.


This event is put on by the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission.
BIAD program shines spotlight on local business impact in 2020!

Previous BIAD YEars
​Business & Industrial Appreciation Day (BIAD) was created as an opportunity for the Greater Alexandria Community and local business leaders to recognize and honor a company and say “thank you for being a vital part of our community.”

For the past 36 years, each honoree has been spotlighted at a luncheon and through a special publication created in their honor. This year, due to COVID-19, the event will not be held and the spotlight will not shine on one particular business. Instead, a three-week marketing campaign including newspaper articles, advertisements, quizzes and social media posts, will spotlight the importance of all business and industry to our community. Starting October 5, week 1 will focus on Manufacturing, week 2 on Retail and week 3 on Service. 

Follow the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission and Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce on Facebook to stay connected and participate in the weekly quizzes taking place on October 8, 15 and 22.

ABOUT BIAD
The annual BIAD honoree is selected based on the jobs it creates for the community or region and the overall impact it has on the Alexandria Lakes Area.

The program is a partnership of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission (AAEDC) and Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce (ALACC). Businesses are selected on a rotating basis between manufacturing, service and retail sectors based on the following criteria:
  • Growth in number of employees (impact on the job market)
  •  Increase in sales and/or unit volume (indication of continued growth)
  • Capital investment; (indication of commitment to increase community capacity)
  • Community contribution (evidence of investment of time, skills and resources to assist in community-oriented projects).
The program was started in 1984 by the Douglas County Developers to recognize local manufacturers and distributors with the AAEDC and ALACC serving as supporting partners. Those entities took over the program in 1999 after the Douglas County Developers dissolved. In 2003 the organizations changed the criteria to include service and retail sector recognition.

2019 BIAD

2018 BIAD