event. You can bring along a tent and
promotional materials to promote your
business,” said Willcoxen.
All sponsors will receive social media
and website recognition. To sign up just
for participation in the tournament, a
foursome sells for $850, an individual
can participate for $250, and to
participate in just the dinner, tickets are
$50 each.
“Money raised goes into the general
fund for VHEDC to cover operating
expenses, and programs we support,
including the Gen-Z Program, a
collaborative partnership between
VHEDC, White Bear Lake Area Schools,
White Bear Lake Area Educational
Foundation, Ramsey County, HIRED
and local manufacturing businesses.
HIRED is a workforce development
nonprofit that partners with participants,
employers, nonprofit peers, funders,
and local government to deliver on
workforce development objectives and
regional priorities.
To sign up for a sponsorship, or
purchase individual tickets, go to
VHEDC.com/golf.
About Keith Warner
Who WAS Keith Warner?
By all accounts, Keith
Warner was a remarkable
man — an inspiration to all
who knew him. His most
notable impact to the
local community was as
co-founder, with his wife
Patty, of the Relay for Life
event in White Bear Lake
(WBL), in remembrance of
their daughter, Lori, who
passed away from colon
cancer.
Warner’s family genetics
carry a variation called Lynch
Syndrome which predisposes
them to various cancers early
in life. Keith himself beat
three different cancers in his
lifetime, with the fourth —
cancer of the brain — taking
his life December 10, 2013.
Over the past 20 years, the
annual WBL Relay event,
held the last Friday in July,
has raised over $4 million for
the American Cancer Society.
Keith was eternally grateful
to the scores of dedicated
volunteers and relay teams
who donated their time and
hearts to the cause.
Keith Warner served as the
VHEDC’s executive director
2008 – 2013 after retiring
from the baking and milling
industries. He is credited
with transforming VHEDC’s
organizational focus from
“Open for Business” to
“Taking Care of Business”
according to former Vadnais
Heights City Administrator
Gerry Urban.
“Keith was a master
organizer and brought
people together, dialing
down objectives and
transforming people’s ideas
to get things done. He was
a bulldog — persistent until
you said ‘yes’ — and then
hand-picked people to make
it happen.” It was a simple
but effective leadership
style, according to Urban.
“He was very social, and
inclusive in getting people
involved, and always
thankful, in so many ways.”
Not without coincidence,
“maKEITHappen” became
his signature phrase and
also happens to include the
spelling of his name.
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