Independent Banker - October 2018 - 75

RUBY Award recipients come from a wide
swath of industries, including health care, education
and manufacturing, as well as corporate,
nonprofit and entrepreneurial ventures. The key
factor is professional excellence.
" We're looking for someone who has excelled
in their industry, " Winieckie says. " It could be an
entrepreneur who overcame great odds to start a
sporting goods store and now it's a great success,
or a scientist at Dow doing a fantastic job getting
patents under his name. "
Each year, RUBY Award recipients are recognized
at a celebration dinner and are also featured
in the Great Lakes Bay Business magazine,
one of the award sponsors.
Among this year's 10 recipients is Panchanan
Maiti, a senior research scientist at the Field
Neurosciences Institute, Ascension-St. Mary's of
Michigan in Saginaw. Maiti wrote in his award
application that his proudest professional accomplishments
include " the positive impacts of my
research publications on therapeutic approaches
for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and
glioblastoma for the global neuroscience community,
especially for potential clinical applications. "
Another 2018 RUBY Award recipient is Jenifer
Acosta, CEO of Jenifer Acosta Development in
Bay City, Mich. Acosta redeveloped downtown
Bay City's 127-year-old Crapo Building into The
Legacy apartment building, with retail stores and
a restaurant on the first floor. In less than three
years, Acosta has managed roughly $25 million
in community revitalization projects.
A third winner is Erin Andrus, an associate at
Wigen Tincknell Associates Architects in Saginaw,
who in 2017 launched [Re]Design Saginaw,
an " externship " that introduces local high school
and college students to the field of architecture.
" The program challenged students to consider
the present status of downtown Saginaw and implored
them to envision what it could be in years
to come, " Andrus wrote in her award application.
Building name recognition
1st State Bank also created the RUBY Award program
so that the area communities could become
familiar with the startup, Winieckie says.
" We were only a year-old de novo when we
started doing this award, and we needed our
name to be recognized, " she says. " We also wantQuick
stat
100
Approximate
number of
RUBY Award
nominations
submitted
each year
" This has become
a highly soughtafter
award. Some
companies, like
Dow, now even
have nominating
committees
each year. "
-Margo Winieckie,
1st State Bank
ed to show that we're a business-oriented bank,
and the awards were a good way to earn the appreciation
of local companies. "
The award program has become so popular
that the community bank receives nearly 100
nominations each year, and employers publicly
tout when their workers receive awards,
Winieckie says.
" This has become a highly sought-after award, "
she says. " Some companies, like Dow, now even
have nominating committees each year. In fact,
Saginaw Valley State University chooses their
nominees so methodically, because, they tell us,
'We want our people to have this award.' "
The award program has certainly helped 1st
State Bank burnish its reputation as a bank for
businesses. The RUBY Awards have also earned
the appreciation of employers, who say the program
has been a great way to show young people
why they should stay in the area, Winieckie says.
" The recipients also get a great deal of satisfaction.
One cried when she made her acceptance
speech, " she says. " That has just made us feel
wonderful that we're giving the recognition that
these people deserve. "
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a writer in California.
independentbanker.org Q 75
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Independent Banker - October 2018

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