The word of the evening Wednesday, Oct. 14 — and perhaps the entire year of 2020 — has been “adaptable.” The businesses and individuals recognized at the annual meeting of Ellsworth County Economic Development know that better than most.

The organization’s Legacy Award went to Svaty Produce, a multigenerational family business that has “a pattern of contributing over the years to this community.” In recent years, Svaty Produce has reached out directly to consumers to sell its fruits, vegetables and fresh meat.

“We are honored and really exited about this award,” Caleb Svaty said. “We couldn’t do what we do without this community.”

Gene’s Heartland Foods and Ignatius Rodriguez received the Innovation Award for its “Click List” program, which allows customers to order groceries online. The system was developed with the assistance of economic development following the shutdown this past March of non-essential businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

“Just stay positive — that’s probably the most important lesson I’ve learned from the pandemic,” said Rodriguez, who has worked at Gene’s for 15 years, the most recent two as manager.

The Leadership Award went to Dale Brungardt, superintendent of the Ellsworth-Kanopolis-Geneseo School District, for his leadership during the pandemic.

Brungardt was responsible for a “safe shutdown and an impressive reopening” of the schools, said Stacie Schmidt, executive director of ECED.

Brungardt refused to take sole credit for the district’s passage so far through the pandemic.

“It’s the people we have working for us, the people who surround us,” he said.

Short profiles also were shown on Aaron Johnson at Paden’s Place and the Ellsworth Volunteer Fire Department, which recently received a Hansen Foundation grant to help build a local training center.

[A story on the fire department project starts on Page A1.]

If being “adaptable” was a factor, ECED could have qualified for an award. More than 40 people attended the annual meeting, which was conducted virtually and several months after when the organization usually has its annual meeting.