The North Shore Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the winners of its Annual Awards Banquet, an evening dedicated to celebrating the businesses, organizations, leaders, and individuals who continue to make the North Shore a vibrant place to live, work, visit, and do business.
Each year, the Annual Awards Banquet provides an opportunity for the Chamber and the greater North Shore community to recognize outstanding achievements and shine a spotlight on those who go above and beyond to support local businesses, strengthen their communities, and contribute to the region’s continued growth. This year’s banquet brought together over 120 businesses, community leaders, elected officials, Chamber members, and community partners for an evening of celebration, connection, and recognition.
Our MC of the Night, DZ (Morning show co-host on 103.7 KISS-FM in Milwaukee, hosting alongside Alley Faith on KISS Mornings with Alley and DZ, In arena announcer for the Milwaukee Bucks, and In game host of The 2026 Fifa World Cup) brought the energy to this annual signature event. The night was filled with excitement and celebration, giving back, and spotlighting amazing businesses and organizations that
The North Shore Chamber gave out a total of 17 Awards voted on by either the public or other North Shore Chamber members. Spotlighted a local non profit, their Non Profit Partner of the Year, St. Francis Children’s Center. By giving them the opportunity to showcase their past and new efforts to help children and kids with disabilities throughout the greater Milwaukee area. Plus bestowed the North Shore Legacy Award to Glenn Fieber, Owner of Solly’s Grille for all of his hard work and dedication to not only continue to run a 90 year old business, but how much he has given back to the community, through donations, job opportunities, and mentorship.
There were over 80 local organizations, community members, and businesses that were nominated for these 13 award categories this year. Congratulations to Our 2026 Award Winners!
🏆 New Business of the Year: The ARGO – This award highlights an organization who, within their first year, has demonstrated early success and growth potential, offers a unique product/service, and has displayed engagement with the NSC and local North Shore community. Our winner of both the North Shore Chamber and Community Choice New Business of the Year opened the doors of the historic Fox Bay Theater again and in their first few months, booked over 40 acts, brought in a James Beard semifinalist to run the kitchen, and built community partnerships to pledge towards mental health, sustainability, and music industry programs.
Community Choice New Business of the Year: The ARGO
🏆 Best Hospitality of the Year: Café Corazón – Our winner transformed a 1960s building in Brown Deer into a farm-to-table Mexican restaurant that has been named Best Mexican Restaurant in Wisconsin, squeezes over 1,000 fresh limes a week for their margaritas, and donates a dollar from every taco plate to a local nonprofit through their “Tu y Yo Tuesdays.”
Community Choice Best Hospitality: Friendship Circle Bakery & Cafe
🏆 Community Connector of the Year: Amanda Braun – Big Brothers Big Sisters – Our Winner fosters relationships, partnerships, and community across the individuals they meet and the organizations they encounter. Amanda Braun is the definition of a community connector. Through her work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, she has spent her career building bridges between young people who need a champion and the mentors, organizations, and resources that can make a lasting difference in their lives.
🏆 Workplace of the Year: Clarios – This award recognizes an organization whose workplace culture and employee benefits are recognized as a key reason for attracting and retaining talent. At their Glendale headquarters, our winner dedicated an entire month to employee learning and development, built a Women’s Network that drew nearly 400 employees to a single benefits session, offers free physical therapy and mental health support to every employee and their family, and runs an annual breast cancer awareness campaign that ships supplies to all 17 of their U.S. plants. They believe taking care of people is not a perk, it is the point.
🏆 Non Profit of the Year: St. Francis Children’s Center –
🏆 Green Business of the Year: Stone Creek Coffee – This award celebrates an organization that has sustainability as a core principle of their mission. Our winner powers 90% of their operations through local wind farms, composts every pound of spent coffee grounds through a local partner, and has spent over a decade proving that a business can be profitable and radically human at the same time.
🏆 Inspiring Business Person of the Year: Levi Stein – This award is given to an individual who is an inspiring business person and who displays strong leadership and vision coupled with integrity. They have a positive influence on their peers and have supported other emerging leaders around them. This year’s winner leads the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, an organization dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities and mental health challenges find belonging and community, our winner was recently named a recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, and when he accepted it, he gave the credit straight back to his team.
🏆 Small Business Achievement Award: Masso Balloons – Our winner started with a brother’s baby shower request in 2022 and has since built a community-beloved decor business that partnered with organizations like the Milwaukee Bucks, Amazon, and Confluence Graphics on incredible displays.
🏆 Young Professional of the Year: Steve Thomas – Bank Five Nine – Our winner is not only recognized as an emerging leader within their organization but is also an undeniable asset to the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, serving on two committees as well as is a rising leader who demonstrates initiative, leadership, and a commitment to growth.
🏆 Diversity & Inclusion Award: The Friendship Circle of Wisconsin – This award recognizes an organization committed to creating an inclusive environment that values diversity, promotes equity, and fosters a sense of belonging. Our winner provides year-long, hands-on job skills training to teens and adults with disabilities leading to meaningful placements with over 50 inclusive, local employers.
🏆 Marketing Excellence Award: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center – This award winner highlighted a specific branding, advertising, digital marketing, or public relations campaign that has made a significant impact for the organization. Our winner launched the Schlitz Audubon Birding Academy to prove that birding is for everyone and the numbers back it up. Sold-out certificate programs across seven disciplines, 128 certificates issued, 785 guests on bird walks and guided hikes, nearly 500 attendees at author signing evenings, and more than 1,100 guests at their annual Xtreme Raptor Day, a new all-time record.
🏆 Outstanding Customer Service: Bank Five Nine – Glendale, WI Branch – This award recognizes a business that consistently delivers exceptional customer care, going above and beyond to create positive, lasting impressions. Great customer service is simple in concept and hard to execute. It means every person who walks through your door feels seen, helped, and valued.
🏆 Business Education Partner: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center – This award recognizes an organization that actively supports workforce development, internships, or partnerships with local schools. Our winner serves nearly 27,000 children every year through nature science programs, runs a nationally recognized preschool, and has built one of the region’s most meaningful bridges between the classroom and the natural world, making environmental education not just accessible, but genuinely exciting for kids across the North Shore and beyond.
🏆 Business of the Year: The Brick Pub & Grill – The North Shore Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year carried their grandfather’s 1961 restaurant legacy into a new generation, opened their doors in Glendale with a fundraiser for a local little league team before they even served their first meal, and built a place that Tim Hren describes exactly the way his grandfather would have, welcoming to families and welcoming to guys who just want to watch the game.
Community Choice Business of the Year: Friendship Circle Bakery & Cafe
🏆 North Shore Legacy Award: Glenn Fieber, Owner of Solly’s Grille – Solly’s grille was established in 1936, and this family owned restaurant has been serving the north shore and the greater Milwaukee area for over 90 years. Between taking names, answering phone calls, flipping burgers and running the whole business, Glenn Fieber has worked every job possible at Solly’s since his first day as a dishwasher in 1965. Glenn took over the company from his mom in 1993. For the past 32 years, he has flipped thousands of patties and made lifelong friends. Glenn has accomplished much during his time as the owner. They have helped raise thousands of dollars for local charities, sponsored local sports teams, and even won food’s highest honor, a James Beard award in 2022. Solly’s & Glenn’s family has achieved worldwide recognition as one of the best independent family-run dining establishments in Wisconsin.
Celebrating the North Shore
While the awards recognize individual recipients, the evening represents something much larger: the strength of the North Shore business community
From small businesses and longtime community institutions to emerging leaders and organizations investing in our communities, these award recipients represent the many people working every day to make the North Shore a great place to do business and call home.
The Chamber extends its congratulations to all of this year’s nominees and award recipients and thanks the businesses, sponsors, volunteers, board members, and community partners who helped make the Annual Awards Banquet possible.
Congratulations once again to the 2026 North Shore Chamber Annual Awards winners!
About the North Shore Chamber of Commerce: The North Shore Chamber of Commerce serves businesses and organizations throughout Glendale, Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, Brown Deer, Bayside, Fox Point, and River Hills. The Chamber works to strengthen the local business community through advocacy, networking, education, business development, community engagement, and opportunities for businesses to connect and grow. To learn more about the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, membership opportunities, and upcoming events, visit https://discoverthenorthshoremke.com/northshore-chamber-home/.