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Renelle Braaten speaks at the ceremony where she received her award from the Montana Ambassadors.
Greg Kegel, interim chancellor of Montana State University-Northern, second from left, accepts a plaque naming him the Educational Ambassador for 2015 from Tom McGree, 2015 Montana Ambassadors president. Debbie Vandeberg, executive director of the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce, is on the left. Paul Tuss, chair of the Montana University System Board of Regents, is on the right.
Two Havre residents were among those honored with the Montana Ambassadors Awards.
Area winners are Renelle Braaten, the founder of Enell Sports Bra, who is active in many Havre community activities, and Greg Kegel, interim chancellor of Montana State University-Northern.
Chantel Schieffer, executive director of Leadership Montana, nominated the two.
"Renelle's entrepreneurial spirit is the heart and soul of Enell Sport," Schieffer said.
"Selling produce she 'borrowed' from a community garden, to owning a barbershop, to owning the most successful sports bra on the planet; from a young age, Renelle has been a problem solver, innovator and an encore entrepreneur"
Braaten credits her success to three values she holds true in everything she does: creativity, surrounding herself with quality people, and always providing the best customer service.
"That passion for service has carried over into issues related to women's health, animal rights and getting young women involved in sports," Schieffer said.
She is a member of the Hill County Parks Board and is an avid fan of Montana State University-Northern sports teams..
Kegel was saluted for his work in the education field. He was named Northern interim chancellor in September and served for 12 years before that as Dean of the College of Technical Sciences.
There, he succeeded in raising money for the new Applied Technology Center and creating the Bioenergy Innovation Testing Center, among other projects. The creation of the testing center was made possible through Kegel's acquiring a large grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to construct the building. Recently, Kegel, along with MSU President Waded Cruzado and several corporate partners announced raising $3.15 million for a new automotive and diesel technologies center
Gov. Steve Bullock, who made the final selection, said that as governor, he has "three guiding principles for our state to strive for: better jobs, better education and a more effective government."
"The Montana Ambassadors embody these principles by advocating for Main Street Montana businesses and encouraging Montana entrepreneurs, promoting STEM education, workforce development, and public school funding," he added.
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