Grand Rounds tops EDAWN Existing Industry Award winners

San Francisco-based Grand Rounds took Large Company of the Year honors at the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada’s sixth annual 2017 Existing Industry awards.

Grand Rounds, founded in 2011 with operations in Reno and Lewiston, Maine, provides an employer-based solution that gives employees and their families the technology, information and support they need to make critical health-care choices — whether and where to receive medical treatment.

More than 40 existing companies from Washoe County, Storey County, Reno, Sparks and Fernley were recognized for their contributions in the past year. The nominations were open to all primary companies doing business in the region served by EDAWN.

Not just the company names were singled out at the awards event last week attended by more than 400 people.

Nancy McCormick, EDAWN senior vice president, business retention, expansion and workforce, asked employees of all the nominated businesses in the audience to stand.

“You helped make these companies great,” she said to the room’s applause.

In addition to Grand Rounds and the other winners, EDAWN President and CEO Mike Kazmierski handed out the EDAWN Coin, presented to individuals and companies that have shown exceptional leadership, engagement, and cooperation in supporting regional economic development efforts.

This year’s winners were Sandy Haslem, a leader in the region’s industrial sector and director of Nevada Industry Excellence since 2006; Shaun Carey, former Sparks city manager who headed the Save Our Schools Coalition instrumental in the 2016 passage of the Washoe County school funding ballot initiative; and McCormick.

The Existing Industries Awards event is intended to pay tribute to existing primary businesses — those with more than half of their revenues generated out of the state ­­— at a time when new businesses to the area often garner all the attention, Kazmierski said.

“They are the backbone of our economy,” he said. “It’s nice to get new businesses. We need them. But we also need to recognize those who have been here, some of them for decades.”