The award, which will be presented Feb. 28, honors a business leader who has contributed to the growth of the Fort Dodge community.

Last year’s winner was John Taets, regional bank president of Northwest Bank.

According to the Growth Alliance, the Catalyst Award celebrates the “inspiration, charity, wisdom, unifier, and breath of life” of a professional in the community.

There are four requirements to be nominated for the Catalyst Award:

• The nominee must be a current member of the Growth Alliance or employed by a company that is a member, as well as be actively involved in Growth Alliance committees or activities.

• They must be an active and visible leader “who is a catalyst for implementing actions that enhance the economic and civic environment of the community.”

• The nominee must consistently demonstrate excellence in both their business/profession and community service.

• Nominees must also have “contributed exemplary time and effort to promote community spirit and civic pride.”

Nomination forms can be found on the Growth Alliance’s website, greaterfortdodge.com, and nominations are due Feb. 22 at noon to Jill Nelson, community development director for the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance.

The award will be presented at the Growth Alliance’s annual dinner, which will be Feb. 28 at the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites.

Speaking at this year’s annual dinner will be Nick Tasler, who the Growth Alliance described as “an internationally acclaimed thought leader, organizational psychologist, and the No. 1 best-selling author of four counter-intuitive books on the art and science of making decisions and leading change.”

He’s also an “expert writer” for both the Harvard Business Review and Quartz, and his work has been covered by multiple publications, including The New York Times, Bloomberg Business Week, U.S. News & World Report and Fox Business.

According to the Growth Alliance, Tasler’s work “challenges leaders to view the world, and their own decision-making processes, differently. He challenges assumptions by discussing the importance of tradeoffs in the decision-making process and ways to ensure that teams are aligned.”

Tasler has also shared his thoughts on why organizations can tackle multiple projects without completing goals; “often because everyone is doing too much and moving in different directions.”

Other awards presented at the annual dinner include Volunteer of the Year and a photo contest winner, as well as recognizing contributions of outgoing officers.

Social hour begins at 5 p.m. while the dinner starts at 6 p.m.

An RSVP to the annual dinner is required. Questions about the annual dinner can be directed to Kate Stucky, Growth Alliance office manager, at 955-5500.