Businesses and service organizations from across the region were recognized with Best of the Illinois Valley awards Thursday evening at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.
“It’s nice to see that so many places in the area are doing such a good job across so many different disciplines,” Garzanelli’s owner Dave Hillyer said.
More than 600 unique businesses and organizations were nominated for an award in 160 available categories. Categories range from dining and retail to auto service and leisure, but service excellence united the more than 300 people from awarded organizations who attended the celebration. While the awards themselves have existed longer, 2026 is the third year that these winners were formally invited to the ballroom to recognize their success in the region.
“It’s good to know that the community recognizes and supports small businesses,” Jalapeno’s co-owner Enrique Delgado said. “Not just because they go, but because they vote for something like this.”
In total, there were 144,334 votes cast for this year’s awards. Those votes were spread across 23,055 nominations, awarding 351 local organizations.
“We know we work hard and do a good job, but getting something like this just reminds us why it’s important that we do that for people,” Delgado said.
In March, Shaw Media posted a nomination ballot for the awards. The top five nominees in each category moved to the three-week voting phase in May. Thursday evening’s celebration honored the Best of the Illinois Valley winners that placed in the top three of the 160 categories.
“It’s all about the consumer; without them we wouldn’t be what we are,” Hillyer said. “These awards boost morale considerably. We really appreciate them; they make us work harder and work better for the people that come in every day.”
For the full list of recognized organizations, visit bestoftheillinoisvalley.com.
Written by Mathias Woerner, Shaw Local Reporter.
