Kalkaska Business, Individual Honored

A local automotive shop and a resort manager will be honored as the 2017 Business and Citizen of the Year for the Kalkaska community, respectively. Midas Kalkaska, owned by Randy and Cathy Luyck, has been named the Kalkaska Business of the Year, while Tim Ellis, manager of All Seasons Hotel & Resort in the village, received the Citizen of the Year honor. The awards have been presented annually for more than 45 years to honor local businesses and residents for their commitment and service to the Kalkaska community.

Midas Kalkaska has taken a leadership role in numerous community-based initiatives. For the past several years the business has sponsored a charity disc golf event that’s raised some $25,000 and 3,000 pounds of food for Kalkaska Area Interfaith Resources (KAIR). It’s also helped donate hundreds of pints of blood in cooperation with Michigan Blood, and supports the local Bikes for Tikes programs.

Ellis was lauded by one nominator as “one of the most upstanding citizens of Kalkaska I have ever met.” As the manager of All Seasons Hotel & Resort in Kalkaska, he’s credited for helping breathe new life into the resort and the community. He’s seen as a mentor and leader to the hotel staff, helps young people in the community by giving them employment opportunities and has also made extensive contributions to the community’s Kalkaska Rhinos USHPL Premier hockey team.

This year’s recipients will be honored at the Kalkaska Annual Luncheon Wednesday, April 26, at the Kalkaska Church of Christ. It will also feature an update on the “Speak Up Kalkaska!” initiative, a community visioning effort involving Kalkaska County, the Village, its Downtown Development Authority and the Kalkaska County Library. Tickets for the event are available here.