The Return of the Trendsetters: Celebrate the Berkshires Is Back
Last week, 1Berkshire's awards ceremony was held for the first time since 2019.
1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler with presenter Shela Levante of event supporter Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
Celebrate the Berkshires, 1Berkshire’s annual awards celebration and its largest fundraiser of the year, had been on hiatus since 2019. To say that the organization and the crowd were excited to be back together to “shine a light on all that is spectacular in the Berkshires” is an understatement. First introduced 10 years ago, Celebrate the Berkshires honors exceptional people, businesses and nonprofits by bestowing seven annual Trendsetter Awards.
On Thursday, Sept. 14 at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mill Town was awarded the top honor of the night, the Putting the Berkshires on the Map Award. Mill Town, an impact investment platform, invests in and supports local entrepreneurs with scalable concepts that are committed to the region. Additionally, they have revitalized multiple major properties in the region, including Bousquet Mountain, Camp Arrow Wood, and Gateways Inn. They have also made investments in addressing the region’s housing crisis with developments in Pittsfield and beyond.
Additional Trendsetter Award winners not pictured above include Kripalu for Enhancing Visitor Engagement, Blackshires for Breaking the Mold, and Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing for Growing/Advancing the Berkshire Economy.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
