A heartfelt tribute from a Business Leader of the Year

Last week, Mainebiz threw its annual shindig recognizing our 2012 Business Leaders of the Year. The event brought out more than 200 people, practically filling the Portland Club to capacity (and way overfilling the parking lot).

Photo by Tim Greenway

By the time we Mainebizzers (yes, we sometimes call ourselves that) get to the event, we already feel like we know our BLOYs (and yes, we call our honorees that -- but not usually to their faces) inside and out. Not only have we read the nominations submitted about them, we've talked to their peers about their leadership acumen, and we've interviewed them at least twice -- once for the print story and once again on camera for a video.

And while the conversation sometimes turns to personal details -- like their families, what they do outside the office and what led them to their line of work, which often is as much about their personal passions as it is their professional experience -- the stories we write generally focus on their lives as business leaders.

So what's really great about the reception is getting to know our business leaders in a different way, and our audience gets to know them better, too. Because while our articles might focus on their business side, their acceptance speeches always go to the personal, the people who matter most to them -- their employees, their colleagues and their families.

I spotted more than a few people dabbing their eyes after nonprofit leader Michael Tarpinian's emotional thank-you to his mentor: his father. Click the video to watch part of his speech.

Read about and see more of our Business Leaders of the Year here.
See more photos from the reception here.