Business Awards
2025 BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AND RISING STAR AWARD WINNERS
The northeast metro is fortunate to have an abundance of leaders with a long history of serving the community. The region also has a number of up-and-coming young leaders, many of whom have participated in the VHEDC’ s North Metro Young Professionals Program.
The best of the best for 2025 were honored during an awards ceremony held at Vadnais Heights Commons the evening of May 1, 2025.
Business Leadership Award Recipient
The 2025 winner of the Business Leadership Award was presented to John Wayne Barker, who retired from a long career at Merrick, Inc., in June 2025. Merrick, Inc., has been providing day services to adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities( I / DD) in Ramsey County since 1964.
Barker began working with people living with disabilities in 1978 while a student at St. Cloud State University. One of his friends was driving a school bus that brought children with disabilities to and from school.
Barker dressed up as Santa for those kids that year and was so inspired by the families’ appreciation, he went on to spend nearly 50 years working with people living with disabilities. Barker became Merrick Inc.’ s Executive Director in 1998 and spent 27 years in that role.
2025 Rising Star Award Winners
The VHEC would also like to congratulate the winners of the 2025 Rising Star Award: Mikayla Wickersham, 27, of White Bear Lake, Andrew Franklin, 26, of Minneapolis and Maddie Ripperger, 30, of Minneapolis. All three young people were nominated by members of the community who wanted to recognize them for the exceptional work they are doing.
Mikayla Wickersham Mikayla Wickersham is currently the Human Resources Manager at Merrick, Inc. In this role, she oversees all of H. R., handling hiring, recruiting, onboarding
2025 Board President Megan Dohmen from Frandsen Bank & Trust was the MC of the Business Appreciation Event.
and terminations. She also oversees management of company benefits and workers compensation.
“ I create and enact policies, and help managers take the correct steps for whatever they need assistance with when it comes to staff,” she said.
Wickersham has worked at Merrick Inc., for four-and-a-half years now. She started her career there as an H. R. Specialist, and quickly moved up. At her three-year anniversary she was promoted to a generalist position; six months later her supervisor at the time chose to leave the company and
L to R: Mikayla Wickersham, John Wayne Barker, Megan Kysylyczyn, Nancy Hoglund, Liz Moscatelli, Maddie Ripperger, Jack Livingston and Andrew Franklin.
L – R, Andrew Franklin, Mikayla Wickersham, John Wayne Barker, Maddie Ripperger
46 Northeast Metro Business