Steve Perdue, President and CEO of Grand Traverse Industries, was selected by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to receive its Distinguished Service Award. He has served the area nonprofit organization dedicated to providing advocacy, employment and training services to persons with disabilities for nearly 40 years. He started in the vocational rehabilitation business in a work-study job at Hope Rehabilitation Services in San Jose, California while at San Jose State University, and in the 1970s helped start community rehabilitation businesses in Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Perdue has served on numerous committees and boards for organizations including Networks Northwest, Traverse Bay EDC, Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce and Traverse Connect, and is the 2007 recipient of the Sara Hardy Humanitarian of the Year award. The Distinguished Service Award is among the region’s oldest and most-prestigious civic awards, presented annually since 1929.

Perdue will be honored at the Distinguished Service Award Luncheon at The Hagerty Center on Jan. 22, 2020, as part of the Traverse Connect Annual Celebration Week from Jan. 20-24.