Pets Care : Rep. Hunt, Horizon Pet Care garners Chamber honors - Brandon Valley Challenger

Rep. Hunt, Horizon Pet Care garners Chamber honors - Brandon Valley Challenger

Posted: 28 Mar 2012 07:59 AM PDT

March 28. 2012 9:43AM

A Brandon attorney and a business dedicated to pets garnered honors at the annual banquet of the Brandon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce last week.

Brandon attorney and District 10 legislator Roger Hunt is the 2011 recipient of the "Chamber Volunteer of the Year" award and Horizon Pet Care was named the "Chamber Business of the Year."

The "Volunteer of the Year" award is given to an individual who has made a significant contribution in 2011 to the growth and betterment of the BVACC.

Paul VanDeBerg, the BVACC's 2011 president, said Hunt not only did that in 2011, but for many years prior.

"This individual blesses us with his professional services, expertise, time and advice to the Chamber staff and board of directors, but yet never submits a bill," Vandeberg said. He also played an integral role in establishing "Brandon Day at the Legislature," which is now six years strong.

Hunt also serves on the BVACC's issues management committee and has kept members informed on state issues.

Hunt, who is serving his final term in the South Dakota Legislature, said he was surprised to receive the award.

"When Paul started out I didn't have an inkling," he said. "There are so many volunteers in Brandon that this is really an honor. Yes, Brandon is a great community and has a great school system. But what it really has is a lot of great volunteers."

The "Business of the Year" award is given to a business or organization that also has made significant strides in 2011 to improve the quality and success of their organization and the Brandon community.

Horizon Pet Care was an obvious choice for "Business of the Year." Dr. Dick Rogen, along with partner Dr. Mark Braunschmidt, and their spouses, Shally Rogen and Dr. Anna Braunschmidt, constructed a new facility that not only draws hundreds of people to the community, but allows the veterinary practice to offer a vast line of animal services from emergency care to immunizations to dental acrylics and braces.

"This business brings numerous people to Brandon to receive many specialized services, which also benefits other Brandon businesses and the city for collection of sales tax dollars," VanDeBerg said. Approximately 35 percent of Horizon Pet Care's clients are referrals from outside of Brandon. "They have 35 to 40 referral clinics that routinely send them problem or tough cases on a weekly basis, therefore becoming the premier regional provider," VanDeBerg informed.

"This is a very nice honor. It's humbling," Dr. Rogen said. "It's just nice to be part of a community, it really is, and we're very blessed."
The keynote speaker for the evening, National CEO OF SCORE, W. Kenneth Yancey Jr., told the banquet audience that small businesses are the heart and soul of every community. Small businesses make up 97 percent of the businesses in the U.S., and 65 percent of new jobs created between 1993 and 2009 were positions at small businesses.

"It's not just the economic impact small businesses provide, but the value they bring to your community," he said. He said local business owners and their employees "are the thread that pull the community together."

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