Awards
Michigan 50 Companies to Watch
Michigan Celebrates Small Business
In June 2020, Ngage Management was recognized by Michigan Celebrates Small Business as a "50 Michigan Companies to Watch" award winner. Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) is a collaboration of trusted statewide founding organizations that offer resources for small businesses. Since 2005, Michigan Celebrates Small Business awards gala has placed a spotlight on how small businesses positively impact our communities and state. The MCSB organization is focused on supporting, promoting and celebrating small businesses in Michigan.
Companies nominated for the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch award must be second-stage companies, defined as having six to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants. Additionally, the companies must be privately held and headquartered in Michigan.
Judges from economic and entrepreneurship development organizations selected the 2020 winners. The judges evaluated the nominees’ demonstration of intent and capacity to grow based on the following:
Employee or sales growth
Exceptional entrepreneurial leadership
Sustainable competitive advantage
Other notable factors that showcase the company's success
Michigan Celebrates received 575 nominations for the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch award, which surpassed the previous year’s record of 425 nominations. In addition to a competitive landscape for this award, the businesses that are selected by the judges go through a rigorous due diligence process prior to the final decision.
Greater Lansing Entrepreneur of the Year
Tobi Lyon, CEO and Founder, was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2020 Greater Lansing Entrepreneurial Awards.
Originally planned for April 1 at the Lansing Center, the event was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony was held on WILX-TV 10 and hosted by Tiffany Dowling, publisher of 517 Magazine and president and CEO of M3 Group on Saturday, November 14.
A panel comprised of seven local business leaders spent countless hours reviewing nominee submissions and discussing how local entrepreneurs are positively impacting the Greater Lansing region. Eight different awards were presented during the program, including the evening’s final award, Entrepreneur of the Year.
“This award is intended to set the bar for other entrepreneurs in the community,” said Dowling. “This individual has obtained a high level of financial success and notoriety. He or she is someone that likes to make things happen.”
As owner and CEO, Tobi brings a lifelong passion for the power of community, entrepreneurship and more than 22 years of experience in all aspects of association management, philanthropy and marketing. Tobi is a sought-after strategic planner and is widely recognized for her expertise in developing innovative leadership models, organizational growth strategies and coalition building to advance association missions.
“I’d like to thank my parents for instilling in me five characteristics I employ in every decision I make; resiliency, bravery, tenacity, see the big picture and lead with my heart,” said Lyon. “Thank you to the team at Ngage, our clients and those who have trusted us to be a partner. The belief system and attitude surrounding us on this journey have made us unstoppable. Our team celebrates this award with pure gratitude.”
Best of MichBusiness Award
The Best of MichBusiness Awards celebrates the programs and companies that make our state a great place to live and work, presented by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA). This year’s awards recognized Michigan companies that stepped up to make a difference in 2020 and showed outstanding leadership in a time of crisis and social and economic uncertainty. It was MichBusiness’ hope this year to rise above the traditional awards program and spotlight companies who have disrupted the status quo, truly making them, “2020’s Best of MichBusiness.”
“Ngage's clients are primary healthcare and nursing professionals, which required us to pivot our business operations overnight to best serve all our frontline healthcare professionals who were working to care for the nation’s growing number of COVID-19 patients,” said Tobi Lyon, President and CEO of Ngage. “Ngage's team focused not only on how to help our client organizations succeed during the pandemic but developed programs and training to make a real difference in the member’s lives.”
“The award is a testament to Ngage’s innovative ideas and hard work to provide new services, strong communication, and an abundance of networking opportunities for our clients amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” continued Lyon.
In 2020, despite the pandemic, Ngage’s healthcare clients membership numbers were up, and non-dues revenue (revenue generated outside of events and membership with new products and services) was up 32%, whereas most other national associations were down by up to 75%.
Ngage Management President & CEO Tobi Lyon Selected as 2022 ATHENA PowerLink Recipient
Ngage Management is pleased to announce its founder and CEO Tobi Lyon has been selected as the 2022 ATHENA PowerLink (APL) recipient by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce (LRCC). APL is a prestigious national mentoring program that connects women business owners with a skilled advisory panel. As APL recipient Lyon will gain direct access to expert mentors offering an estimated $25,000 value of business consultation services regarding business growth strategies over the next 12 months.
“I am a firm believer in the powerful impact of mentoring,” said Lyon. “I am immensely grateful for this opportunity and excited to have the invaluable resource of this panel of advisors available to help further develop Ngage Management.”
Ngage Management is Michigan’s largest full-service association and event management company, specializing in streamlining processes to maximize efficiency, increase revenue and help clients build membership. They have received numerous awards including the 2020 Best of MichBusiness Award from the Michigan Business and Professional Association and as a 2020 awardee for the “Michigan Companies to Watch” Award presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. Tobi Lyon was also named Greater Lansing Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2020 Greater Lansing Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
“Tobi and her team have done an incredible job of growing their business over the past few years,” said Tim Daman, president & CEO, LRCC. “She is a well deserving APL recipient who will have a chance to work with a group of expert mentors that will help her take her business to exciting new levels.”
Ngage has significantly expanded its business over the last several years and transitioned from a small startup to a highly successful company, competing on a national level with other association management companies and serving numerous state and national clients. The challenge Lyon and her growing team now face is how to continue to grow the business in a highly competitive marketplace.
For more information about the Athena PowerLink program visit www.athenainternational.org/page/athenapowerlink.