Minnesota Keystone presents 36th annual Awards Luncheon with keynote speaker Gov. Mark Dayton

Nov. 29, 2012 - PRLog -- MINNEAPOLIS (November 29, 2012)  — Minnesota Keystone, a Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce program, will present its 2012 Awards Luncheon on Dec. 12 to recognize this year’s honored companies and celebrate corporate giving in Minnesota. Gov. Mark Dayton will be the keynote speaker.

Dayton has a special connection to the Keystone program, which was started as “The 5% Club” by 23 Minnesota companies in 1976. One of the founding companies was Dayton Hudson Corporation, which was created by the merger of J.L. Hudson Company and Dayton’s, the company started by the governor’s great-grandfather, George Draper Dayton. The Dayton family has long held a strong commitment to giving back to the state of Minnesota.

KTTC Television in Rochester, Minn.; Coughlan Companies in North Mankato, Minn.; and Wells Fargo Bank of Minnesota in Minneapolis are the 2012 Minnesota Keystone honored companies and will be recognized in the small, medium and large business categories, respectively. Each of these companies is being honored for its generous contributions to the community and outstanding corporate giving program.

This year’s award recipients were chosen from nearly 200 Minnesota Keystone member companies. Keystone is open to all Minnesota companies that give at least 2 percent of their pre-tax earnings back to the community in any combination of volunteer time, in-kind donations or cash donations. The three Honored Company Award winners stand out for their levels and methods of giving within the business community and serve as a model for others to follow.

The luncheon will take place at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, located at 1300 Nicollet Mall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This event is open to the public at a cost of $60 per ticket.

Those interested in registering to attend the luncheon can visit www.minneapolischamber.org or call 612-370-9100. More information about the Minnesota Keystone program can be found at www.minneapolischamber.org/keystone.

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The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1881 and works to create strong partnerships to unite and grow member businesses in the Twin Cities. The Chamber serves 1,400 businesses in the 11-county metro area and focuses on public policy, economic development and member services. More information about the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce is available at www.minneapolischamber.org.