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Past Award Recipients

2024

Boaz Nkingi

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Perlla Deluca

Southeast Constructors, Inc.
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Robert J. Denson

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Amalia Moreno-Damgaard

Immigrant Spirit Award

2023

Dekow Sagar

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Jay Wang

Wasabi Group Inc. Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Catholic Charities Diocese of
Des Moines

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Vinh Nguyen

Immigrant Spirit Award

2022

Sam and Tricia Gabriel

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Cart Construction

Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Mo Chang

Immigrant Spirit Award

2021

Kalyan Venkatraman​

Cerebral Group LLC Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Min Tun

Golden Land Food Market Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Robert Brownell

Polk County Board of Supervisor
Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Joe Gonzalez​

Latino Resources Inc Immigrant Spirit Award

2020

Igor Dobrosavljevic

Grand Consulting
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

John Zeitler

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Kiu Chieng and
Peggy La

Immigrant Spirit Award

2019

Penny Furgerson

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Russel Karim

Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

CultureALL

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Eric and Lorraine Rokitnicki

Bindery 1
Immigrant Spirit Award

2018

Esaie Toinger

Wake Up For Your Rights Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Robbie Cabral

Benjilock
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Neil MacNaughton

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Rowena Crosbie

Tero International
Immigrant Spirit Award

2017

Akira Mori

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Oasis Falafel

Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Ambassador
Terry E. Branstad

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Iem Phrasany

Immigrant Spirit Award

2016

Dr. Liang Chee Wee

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Ghazali's & Open Sesame

Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Sal Alaniz

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Olga Sparks

Immigrant Spirit Award

2015

Sylivia Chelimo

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Ramiro and Lupe Vazquez

North Construction and Guadalajara Restaurant
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

The Iowa City Area Development Group and Iowa City Downtown District

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Suku Radia

Immigrant Spirit Award

2014

Dr. Carlos Alarcon-Schroder

Mercy One
Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

ARTi

Bernardo del Campo,
Dan Wilson, Edson Vendrusculo, Juan Proano,
Jyahao Leong, and Matthew Kieffer
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Chad Simmons

Diversity Focus
Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Dimitri Papageorgiou

Dimitri Wine & Spirits, Inc. Immigrant Spirit Award

2013

Tej Dhawan

Startup City Des Moines
Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Roberto Gomez and Marco Miranda

Comercializadora Del Midwest
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Iowa Center on Health Disparities and The Iowa Center for Immigrant Leadership and Integration

Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Dr. Chirantan Ghosh

The Ghosh Center for Oncology & Hematology Immigrant Spirit Award

2012

Clementine Msengi

Bright Move Network
Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Betty Garcia

Tortillera Sonora Inc.
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Kim Baer

Baer Law Office
Karen L. Evans Immigrant Champion Award

Liang Chow

Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance
Immigrant Spirit Award

2011

Wilondja Msiando

Living Water Evangelical Free Church
Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Lily Hou

Green Yoga House
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Lori Chesser

Immigrant Champion Award

Carlos Rios

Immigrant Rights Network of Iowa
Immigrant Spirit Award

2010

Armando Aguilar & Monica Jaime

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Krubo B. Gabriel

KB African Store
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Dr. Judith Anne Conlin

Immigrant Champion Award

Saley, Sulim
and Zon Nong

Immigrant Spirit Award

2009

Juan Oscar Rodriguez

Diversity Insurance
Outstanding Immigrant Business Award

Robert Anderson

Former Lt. Governor of Iowa
Immigrant Champion Award

DMACC

Immigrant Champion Award

Arturo Deanda

Immigrant Spirit Award

2008

Abid Talic

Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award

Jose Ramos

Ramos Media Venture Inc.
Immigrant Champion Award

Richard Patterson

Immigrant Champion Award

Inbo and
Wonhee Jung

Ingersoll Wine & Spirit Immigrant Spirit Award

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catherine@iesusa.org

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