In Business Madison celebrated standout organizations and top executives in Wisconsin’s Capital Region during IB’s third annual Business of the Year Awards program, held amid a festive holiday atmosphere on Dec. 11 at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center in Madison.

The event attracted a sold out crowd of 350 people, including business and nonprofit leaders and community members.

Nominations for the awards were submitted to In Business Madison, which chose finalists in each category. Organizations nominated were headquartered in Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock or Sauk counties.

A panel of three outside judges evaluated each of the finalists, then met virtually to compare scores and determine category winners. Each finalist was rated based on qualities including experience, service/product, accomplishments and charitable initiatives.

The six award categories included Executive of the Year; Small Business of the Year (1-50 employees); Medium Business of the Year (51-100 employees); Large Business of the Year (101+ employees); Family Business of the Year and Nonprofit Charitable Organization of the Year.