By Dana Kroll, Uptown Marketing and Communications Specialist
Grand Rapids, Wednesday, February 25, 2026: Uptown GR, Inc. is inviting the community to help spotlight the people and businesses shaping the Uptown district by voting in the second annual Uptown Impact Awards Voter’s Poll, now live, and by joining its celebration on Wednesday, March 18.
The awards are part of Uptown GR’s Annual Meeting, an open community gathering where organizational leadership shares highlights and progress on its objectives from the past calendar year. Building on last year’s strong debut, the Impact Awards will once again offer the public an opportunity to help determine those businesses, property owners, volunteers, and community members whose above-and-beyond contributions deserve extra recognition in having helped Uptown to thrive, invite, move, and organize together as a welcoming, vibrant, and connected district, in 2025. The business award categories are as follows:
- The Community Support Award (Recognizes businesses that give back or uplift the community)
- The Best New Business Award (Recognizes outstanding businesses which have opened in the past year)
- The Legacy Business Award (Recognizes best long-standing businesses which serve as district “anchors”)
- The Best Business Glow-Up Award (Recognizes businesses who have made significant visual improvements to building fronts/outdoor spaces, over the past year)
Per Ingrid Miller, Executive Director: “Our mission at Uptown GR is to bring together people and possibilities, and nothing embodies that better than the Impact Awards. We’re inviting everyone who loves this district to cast their vote. Let’s give credit where it’s due and celebrate the incredible businesses that make Uptown GR so special.”
This year’s event will be held at The Grey Rabbit, located in the heart of Uptown’s Wealthy Street District (700 Wealthy St. SE). The festivities begin at 5:30 pm and include a short presentation, complimentary light nibbles, a cash bar, plus the award ceremony and ample opportunity to mix and mingle with the business and volunteer community of Uptown.
- Click here to complete your Voter’s Poll ballot
- Click here to view the facebook event page
- Click here to RSVP by purchasing your $15 ticket to the event (space is limited; reserve your spot now)
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Uptown consists of four business districts: Eastown, East Fulton, Wealthy Street, and East Hills. The district is also home to five residential neighborhoods: Baxter, East Hills, Eastown, Fulton Heights, and Midtown. In all climates, UGRI celebrates its mission: to bring together people, partnerships, and possibilities to sustain a strong and vibrant urban district through planning, coordinating, and communicating with and between all sectors of the Uptown community and beyond.
For more information about this and all things Uptown, please contact Ingrid Miller.