15 men and women who have worked hard to make Manitowoc County a better place were honored last night at Knox’s Silver Valley.
These individuals were given the Future 15 Award by the Young Professionals of Manitowoc County in an event sponsored by Shoreline Credit Union, Associated Bank, CLA Manitowoc, and SeehaferNews.com.
We spoke with Terry Stevenson, who is the Vice President of Seehafer Broadcasting, who explained that they have been sponsoring this event for several years.
“It is important to rally behind the young professionals,” Stevenson said. “There are a lot of young professionals in this community…and we want to get behind them and recognize their support and dedication for what they do.”
One of the recipients was Emily Schmidt, who works for the County but also teaches swimming at the Y.
She said she was “shocked” when she received her nomination email, but her swim students agree with the group’s decision to honor her.
“I told my swimmers that I wouldn’t be there tonight, and they were like ‘Why?’ so I had to explain it to them,” she said. “One of the girls was like ‘If I thought of anyone in my life, I would have picked you too. It’s ok you will be gone.’ It’s really a big honor.”
Former Manitowoc Alderman Jeremiah Novak, the owner of Novak’s Service Center, was also honored.
He was rather humble, saying there are so many other people that are deserving of the award.
He said he supports the community because they support him and his business.
“Novak’s Service Center is celebrating 50 years next year involved in the community,” Novak explained. “We are trying to keep giving back as much as we can.”
Novak has given back by raising money for cancer research, and during the pandemic gave away over$25,000 in oil changes to the frontline workers at hospitals and in the service industry.
In 2022, his company will be donating $500 every month to a different non-profit organization and plans to donate to one of the Manitowoc parks in honor of his father.
Click here to view the full list of winners.
