The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday that Henry Sanders, CEO of 365Nation, received the Chamber’s 2024 Ground Floor Award for Small Business Leadership.
The award recognizes true small business champions who are leaders in their businesses and in the community. Previous recipients include Jim Garner of Sergenian’s Floor Coverings, Susan Bulgrin of Culver’s on Todd Drive and Echo Tap & Grill, Jeff “JP” Patterson of JP Hair Design, Mark Schmitz of ZEBRADOG, Eugenia Podesta of Synergy Coworking, and Carol “Orange” Schroeder of Orange Imports.
“For more than two decades, I have had a front-row seat to Henry’s commitment and dedication to improving Greater Madison and its businesses,” Chamber President Zach Brandon said in a statement. “We met through politics, but we came together through business. “I am proud to call Henry a friend and honor him with this well-earned and well-deserved award.”
For more than 20 years, Sanders has been a force for community development, economic development and entrepreneurship in Greater Madison, Wisconsin and the Midwest. He worked for the city of Madison and then-Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin before joining the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce as vice president. In that capacity, he founded the Small Business Advisory Council, the Latino Chamber of Commerce, and the African American Black Business Association. He founded the young professionals organization Madison Area Growth Network (MAGNET), Madison Network of Black Professionals, and Capacity 360, a government relations firm that contributed more than $15 million to Wisconsin businesses.
In 2011, Sanders joined the Obama administration as Region V Advocate for the U.S. Small Business Administration, advocating for small businesses in six states. He received the Startup Executive of the Year award from In Business magazine, received the Amigo Award from La Movida Radio, and was named Outstanding Experiential Learning Host by the Madison Metropolitan School District for allowing students to attend the Leadership Summit. of Wisconsin.
“I deeply thank the Chamber for this recognition. For me, it has always been about serving the community first,” Sanders said in a statement. “We started Madison365 nearly nine years ago with a mission to amplify community voices, and we started Blueprint365 last year to amplify the small businesses, executives and leaders who get the work done every day. In both cases, we saw a need and filled it, and that’s almost always where successful small businesses start. And, like many other small businesses, we couldn’t have gotten this far without the support of that same community.”