Speaker announced for 15th Blue Chip Community Business Award
Amputee, mountain climber and world record-holding disabled athlete Todd Huston will appear as the keynote speaker for the 15th Annual Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award. Huston will help honor this year’s winner Thursday, Nov. 5, at a luncheon ceremony at Harborside Event Center, located at 1375 Monroe Street in Fort Myers. Registration begins at 11 a.m. The program starts at 11:30 a.m.
Coordinated and sponsored by Oswald Trippe and Company, the annual Blue Chip Award program recognizes small businesses that have overcome adversity to achieve success.
Huston knows how to overcome incredible challenges.
When his legs got caught in the propeller of a boat at age 14, his life was radically changed. He battled to keep his legs with numerous surgeries but bone disease eventually forced him to have one leg amputated.
Huston became a psychotherapist and clinical director of the Amputee Resource Center in California. He also worked in psychiatric hospitals for adults, adolescents and children. He used his professional skills and personal experiences to help patients achieve more in their lives. He also trained healthcare professionals in working with individuals coping with disabilities.
Then Huston did the unimaginable he set a world record by climbing the highest elevations in all 50 states (including the 20,320 foot summit of Mt. McKinley) with only one leg in one of the most extreme and dangerous sports that exist (mountain climbing). Huston broke the able-bodied record by 35 days.
He has been featured in numerous publications including Sports Illustrated, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, as well as the popular book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Second Helping.” He has appeared as a special guest on CBS Year in Sports and Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power. Huston has been interviewed on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, TNN, Inside Edition and Extra, plus numerous radio programs.
Several distinguished honors have been awarded to Todd Huston including U.S. Jaycees’ Ten Outstanding Young Americans, the Henry Iba Award for Outstanding Citizen Athlete, the Class Act Award and the American Red Cross’ Everyday Hero Award.
Charlotte, Collier and Lee county for-profit businesses that have been in operation for at least three years and employ five to 400 people are eligible for the Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award. Applications, which must be submitted no later than Sept. 14, can be requested by contacting Stacey Mercado at 239-433-7189, or smercado@otc1.com. Independent judges will select the winning entry.
The Southwest Florida Blue Chip Community Business Award is endorsed by the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce, Charlotte County Economic Development Office, Christian Chamber of Southwest Florida, City of Cape Coral Economic Development Office, Economic Development Council of Collier County, Edison State College, Englewood-Cape Haze Area Chamber of Commerce, Florida Gulf Coast University, Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, Gulfshore Business, Hodges University, Lee County Economic Development Office/Horizon Council, Lehigh Acres Chamber of Commerce, Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber of Southwest Florida, The Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.
Founded in 1982, Oswald Trippe and Company is the largest employee-owned insurance agency in Southwest Florida. OTC provides comprehensive insurance and risk-management services to families and businesses throughout Florida and North Carolina. The agency’s 165 professionals offer protection from the nation’s leading insurance companies. Oswald Trippe has offices in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Holmes Beach, Miami, Naples, Ocala, Sarasota and Weston, Fla., as well as Cornelius, Denver, Hickory, Kannapolis/Concord and Wilmington, N.C.
For more information, visit: www.otc1.com.