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Friday, October 3, 2008
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'This is as good as it gets' Surprised Chip Borkenhagen named citizen of the year Staff Writer When Chip Borkenhagen of Baxter woke up Thursday, he prepared for a routine day at work.
Borkenhagen, 61, who owns the Lake Country Journal Magazine in Brainerd with wife Jean, dressed more professionally - in a sport coat and khakis - because he had a business meeting to attend.
Little did Borkenhagen know he soon would be named the 2008 Brainerd Citizen of the Year.
"Wow, I don't know what to say," Borkenhagen said after Nancy Cross of Brainerd Community Action informed him about 10 a.m. Thursday as his staff watched in the magazine's conference room. "Is this a dream or is it chemo treatment?
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Chip Borkenhagen smiled Thursday shortly after he was named Brainerd Citizen of the Year for 2008 as he sat in the conference room of the Lake Country Journal Magazine in Brainerd.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Jennifer Stockinger
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"I don't get it. There's a lot of creative people in the community who do more than I do. ... This is as good as it gets."
Cross asked Borkenhagen to attend the 2008 Distinguished Service Awards banquet Nov. 20 at The Lodge in Baxter. Borkenhagen said he'd be in Texas during the banquet, which made Cross gasp. She later was relieved when she realized Borkenhagen was joking.
After the hugs and congratulations, Borkenhagen said in an interview that he had no clue what was going on when Cross and others entered the conference room and interrupted a meeting he was having with Brian Lehman, a meeting Lehman arranged to set up the Citizen of the Year announcement.
Overheard
Is this a dream or is it chemo treatment?
-Chip Borkenhagen, upon being named Brainerd Citizen of the Year.
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"I had no clue," said Borkenhagen. "I thought they already had one (a Brainerd Citizen of the Year). I saw Terry (McGaughey) so I thought they're going to talk about the Paul Bunyan Trail and talk about buttons and what's going to happen in a few weeks for the bridge opening ceremony on Excelsior Road.
"This is too far out there. ... I'm very honored and humbled, but I need to percolate this for a while."
Borkenhagen - who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in March, endured chemotherapy and is now free of cancer - said the experience made him look back at his life to review what he has accomplished.
Borkenhagen said he is most proud of his family - his wife of 28 years, three adult children and two grandchildren - and the Lake Country Journal that he and his wife created in 1997.
"If I did anything to deserve this it's the fact that I'm blessed with the ability to bring creative people together to make things happen," said Borkenhagen. "I'm proud of my staff and they make things happen."
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Chip Borkenhagen hugged his wife, Jean, Thursday after learning he was named Brainerd Citizen of the Year.
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
Brainerd Dispatch/Jennifer Stockinger
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Borkenhagen's accomplishments include his former partnership in the founding of the Brainerd lakes marketing firm, now known as Russell Herder; teaching marketing and design classes for several years at Central Lakes College; and his assistance in helping many new business owners get started.
Borkenhagen currently serves on the boards of the Crossing Arts Alliance and the Crow Wing Environmental Protection Association. He's been involved in many other boards in the past, including the Crow Wing County Historical Society Board.
Borkenhagen was nominated by several people in the community.
John Erickson said in his nomination letter, "Chip Borkenhagen has been, for decades, the axis around which innumerable cultural, artistic and community events have revolved. His communications endeavors have caused there to be venues for literary, poetic and visual expression unmatched in a community our size. Chip has been, on an intimate, one-on-one basis, a mentor and catalyst for countless individual creators over these decades. While this behavior is individually beneficial for the recipients of Chip's largesse, it is crucial to understand that cumulatively, Chip's commitment to each of those individuals has contributed in significant ways to making our city a healthy community because we can see the arts and our culture through the eyes and words of Chip's communications vehicles, most prominently the remarkable Lake Country Journal Magazine."
Lehman, who also nominated Borkenhagen said, "Chip Borkenhagen's ability as a visionary, to see potential in people, organizations and ideas is what sets him apart from others."
Lehman said Borkenhagen has been active in a variety of endeavors in the Brainerd lakes area, including the Junior Achievement program, the Salvation Army, the Brainerd Jaycees, the United Way and the Brainerd School District.
McGaughey, who also nominated Borkenhagen, said Borkenhagen designed the Paul Bunyan Trail logo in 1988 and has contributed the design of brochures, newsletters and other information materials for the past 20 years.
The success of the Paul Bunyan Trail today is due in large part because of the generous support of Chip Borkenhagen, McGaughey said.
Other nomination letters, written by Debbie Endres, Michael J. Powers and Dawn Stattine, noted that Borkenhagen is community-minded and committed to making the area the best it can be and also noted his vision for central Minnesota's lake country.
JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.
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