Entrepeneurs from the Arrowhead region of Minnesota recently gathered to honor the successful entrepreneurs of the area. Amazing Grace Bakery owners Chip Stewart and Marcie Stoyke were there.

Even though Chip Stewart and the Amazing Grace Bakery was only one of a dozen nominations who did not win the Joel Labovitz Entrepreneurs Award, Stewart says the nomination made him feel like a winner anyway. “I didn't really figure that I was going to win, but it was pretty cool being there with all those other entrepreneurs and getting some recognition as a group of entrepreneurs bringing business to the Northland.”

The Labovitz Entrepreneurial Success Awards were given by the UMD Center for Economic Development. Seven different awards were given to entrepreneurs from the Arrowhead region of Minnesota. Over 300 people attended the awards luncheon at the DECC in Duluth. The Established Entrepreneur Award was given to Mitchel Robertson and Tritec of Virginia Minnesota. But Chip Stewart said it was rewarding to be nominated and to hear his business praised for the people factors of the enterprise.

The Joel Libovitz Awards factor in much more than profitability in its evaluations. The program of the Award Ceremony states “The principal business of a company is not to make money, but to continue to exist and provide jobs. Profits... are but a by-product of an organizational system designed to keep workers working at creating products and services... that enhance quality of life.” Entrepreneurial projects as a solution to unemployment is important to the UMD Center for Economic Development. The Amazing Grace provides employment for about twenty people with a few extra hands during the summer months.

Stewart says if the award was based on profits the Bakery would be totally overlooked. “Our business is doing OK but it's not doing millions of dollars in sales.”

Even though the numbers need to work out, Stewart says that is not why he's in business. Stewart's co-owner and wife, Marcie Stoyke, says the cafe is a family-friendly atmosphere. “It's a place where kids can come and talk, and be, and all ages come. He was recognized how we give food away all the time.” Chip comments, “It's kind of a combination of small business and a half-way house.”

The Amazing Grace Bakery and Cafe has been a community center in Canal Park for 11 years. Known as a prime venue for folk music from the local, regional and national circuits it is a comfortable place to meet friends, for local organizations to have committee meetings and for people to enjoy open stage music and poetry. The business has improved steadily over the years. Most recently the Amazing Grace has joined the Green Routes organization as an affiliate that practices sustainability and sound environmental practices. Answering a demand for healthful foods and people-friendly business practices, the Amazing Grace is a place where “...culture, cuisine and conservation come together.”

With its roots in bakery products made from scratch served with fair trade, organically grown and fresh-ground coffee, the Grace continues to add recipes with more organic and local ingredients. It is a likely destination of a Green Route, of people who come to Duluth to breathe the fresh air and gaze over the big blue expanse of the Lake. The Amazing Grace is certainly not alone in this pursuit. The City itself has adopted a Resolution for Sustainability and many business and organizations in the region contribute to the effort.