by Dennis Dalman
What do the following have in common? The Waters Church, Second Street Coffeehouse, Peggy Vagle, Jill Ambrosier and Dr. Mitch Kuhl.
The answer: They are the two businesses and three individuals honored Nov. 10 in the annual “Sartell Choice Awards” dinner banquet, which was held at The Waters Church and sponsored by the Sartell Chamber of Commerce.
The Waters Church was named “Large Business of the Year,” Second Street Coffeehouse “Small Business of the Year,” Peggy Vagle “Sartell Citizen of the Year,” Jill Ambrosier “Education Professional of the Year” and Dr. Mitch Kuhl “Healthcare Professional of the Year.”
Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 4, Sartell residents voted them as winners among other candidates nominated by members of the community.
The awards are given to businesses and individuals who “go above and beyond.” More specifically, in the words of the chamber’s mission statement: “To promote and enhance a healthy business and community environment and advance the general welfare and prosperity of the Sartell area by promoting economic, civil, commercial, industrial and educational interests of the area.”
Vagle
Peggy Vagle, who leads the creative team at The Waters Church in Sartell, is a speaker, group leader and facilitator of good causes in Sartell and beyond.
Her husband, Doug, was honored with the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award in 2013.
They moved to Sartell in 2007 and founded The Waters Church, which had only about a dozen members at first. But it quickly grew in its congregation and its influence, welcoming people and hosting a vast variety of special events, guest speakers and community-connective seminars throughout the years. In fact, the church is one of the key venues for events in Sartell.
Peggy’s passion is “to help others see the middle of their story and how God is going to use it to share a story of faith and hope with others.”
The Vagles have three children: Abby, Nathaniel and Sophia.
The Waters
Located at 1227 Pinecone Road N., The Waters Church (though technically not a “business” as such), was honored as “Large Business of the Year.”
The church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God organization. Its motto is “Families are our passion and kids are our priority.”
The Waters was founded in Sartell by Pastor Doug and Peggy Vagle (see above).
Its mission is “Love God, Love People, Love Life.”
The Waters Church is well known for reaching out to and welcoming all people. It hosts a vast variety of special events and services, including a Week of Prayer, Night of Worship, Christmas at The Waters, Prime Timers Luncheon, Baptism Weekend, Young Adult Friendship Meal and more.
In addition, the church serves as a venue for many special events sponsored by businesses and other groups from Sartell and elsewhere.
Since its founding in 2007 by the Vagles, it has grown rapidly to several thousands of members/congregants and friends through constant reach-out and community connectivity.
Coffeehouse
Meghan Kelsey said was “shocked” when it was announced her business, Second Street Coffeehouse, was honored as “Best Small Business” in Sartell.
“I was not expecting that,” she said in an interview with the Newsleader. “It’s the same way I felt shocked when we recently won Best Small Business in central Minnesota (St. Cloud Times readers’ choice award). I was shocked.”
Kelsey opened Second Street Coffeehouse in January 2021 in the space that was for years Liquid Assets coffee shop.
The coffee shop employs 28 staff members, and 21 of them are high-school students because Kelsey wants to help out students, some of whom often do their homework in the shop.
“Our atmosphere is upbeat and fun,” she said. “We get a lot of positive fe
What do the following have in common? The Waters Church, Second Street Coffeehouse, Peggy Vagle, Jill Ambrosier and Dr. Mitch Kuhl.
The answer: They are the two businesses and three individuals honored Nov. 10 in the annual “Sartell Choice Awards” dinner banquet, which was held at The Waters Church and sponsored by the Sartell Chamber of Commerce.
The Waters Church was named “Large Business of the Year,” Second Street Coffeehouse “Small Business of the Year,” Peggy Vagle “Sartell Citizen of the Year,” Jill Ambrosier “Education Professional of the Year” and Dr. Mitch Kuhl “Healthcare Professional of the Year.”
Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 4, Sartell residents voted them as winners among other candidates nominated by members of the community.
The awards are given to businesses and individuals who “go above and beyond.” More specifically, in the words of the chamber’s mission statement: “To promote and enhance a healthy business and community environment and advance the general welfare and prosperity of the Sartell area by promoting economic, civil, commercial, industrial and educational interests of the area.”
Vagle
Peggy Vagle, who leads the creative team at The Waters Church in Sartell, is a speaker, group leader and facilitator of good causes in Sartell and beyond.
Her husband, Doug, was honored with the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award in 2013.
They moved to Sartell in 2007 and founded The Waters Church, which had only about a dozen members at first. But it quickly grew in its congregation and its influence, welcoming people and hosting a vast variety of special events, guest speakers and community-connective seminars throughout the years. In fact, the church is one of the key venues for events in Sartell.
Peggy’s passion is “to help others see the middle of their story and how God is going to use it to share a story of faith and hope with others.”
The Vagles have three children: Abby, Nathaniel and Sophia.
The Waters
Located at 1227 Pinecone Road N., The Waters Church (though technically not a “business” as such), was honored as “Large Business of the Year.”
The church is affiliated with the Assemblies of God organization. Its motto is “Families are our passion and kids are our priority.”
The Waters was founded in Sartell by Pastor Doug and Peggy Vagle (see above).
Its mission is “Love God, Love People, Love Life.”
The Waters Church is well known for reaching out to and welcoming all people. It hosts a vast variety of special events and services, including a Week of Prayer, Night of Worship, Christmas at The Waters, Prime Timers Luncheon, Baptism Weekend, Young Adult Friendship Meal and more.
In addition, the church serves as a venue for many special events sponsored by businesses and other groups from Sartell and elsewhere.
Since its founding in 2007 by the Vagles, it has grown rapidly to several thousands of members/congregants and friends through constant reach-out and community connectivity.
Coffeehouse
Meghan Kelsey said she was “shocked” when it was announced her business, Second Street Coffeehouse, was honored as “Best Small Business” in Sartell.
“I was not expecting that,” she said in an interview with the Newsleader. “It’s the same way I felt shocked when we recently won Best Small Business in central Minnesota (St. Cloud Times Readers’ Choice Sward). I was shocked.”
Kelsey opened Second Street Coffeehouse in January 2021 in the space that was for years Liquid Assets coffee shop.
The coffee shop employs 28 staff members, and 21 of them are high-school students because Kelsey wants to help out students, some of whom often do their homework in the shop.
“Our atmosphere is upbeat and fun,” she said. “We get a lot of positive feedback. I like to come to work in a place that’s fun. We are very busy, but we are very lucky.”
One of the coffee house’s unique features is a room separated from the busy hubbub of the main service area. It’s called “Colleen’s Room,” named after Kelsey’s mother, who died of Alzheimers in 2018 at age 65. It’s a quiet dining room where people (especially older people who may have hearing problems) can visit together.
The coffee house is opened seven days a week – from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday; and from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
There are service options for sit-down, take-out and drive-thru.
Ambrosier
Jill Ambrosier, the Education Professional of the Year, is a fourth-grade teacher at Riverview Intermediate School.
“All of the (teacher) nominees are so amazing I was humbled to win that award,” Ambrosier said in an interview with the Newsleader. “We all work so hard that it’s good for all of us to be recognized.”
Born and raised in St. Cloud, Ambrosier graduated from the College of St. Benedict and began teaching in Sartell schools 17 years ago – in fourth grade at first, then for many years as a second-grade teacher and then again for fourth grade starting two years ago. Her husband, Scott Ambrosier, is a third-grade teacher, also at Riverview Intermediate School.
Ambrosier’s theory of education is quite simple: “Learning is fun,” she said. “Kids learn through having fun, sometimes to the point they are having so much fun they forget they are learning. We want those kids to walk through that door so we can make a safe place for them, with structure and stability so they can make strong connections with others.”
The Ambrosiers have five children: Andrew, a sophomore at North Dakota State University; Luke, a senior at Sartell High School; Jonah, an eighth-grader; Annie, a sixth-grader; and Mack, who is in pre-school.
Kuhl
Dr. Mitchell Kuhl is a pain-management specialist for St. Cloud Orthopedics (Sartell Medical Campus) and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital and St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Health Care System.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the 2010 Physician of Excellence Award at St. Cloud Hospital.
He earned a medical degree from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and then completed many internships and residencies in many medical centers. He has been in practice for more than 20 years. He joined St. Cloud Orthopedics in 2007. He specializes in fracture care of the upper extremities and pelvis.
Orthopedic surgeons like Dr. Kuhl treat ailments affecting muscles, bones and joints and deal with sports injuries, degenerative diseases, tumors, infections and birth defects. They often perform joint-repair procedures and replacement operations.
Kuhl was born in Waukesha, Wis., and his wife is from Yankton, S.D. He said they chose central Minnesota to raise their family because it is mid-way between both sets of grandparents.
A Wisconsin native, Kuhl remains a Green Bay Packers fan, but he asks that “people don’t hold that against me.”
At a Sartell Chamber of Commerce “Choice Awards” event, Mayor Ryan Fitzthum presents a plaque to Peggy Vagle, who was named “Sartell Citizen of the Year.” Vagle leads the creative team at The Waters Church, which she and her husband, Doug, founded in 2007. She also participates in many good causes in Sartell and beyond.
Jill Ambrosier shows a plaque presented to her at the “Choice” awards banquet recently held by the Sartell Chamber of Commerce. Ambrosier, a fourth-grade teacher at Riverview Intermediate School in Sartell, was named as Educator of the Year.
Dr. Mitchell Kuhl holds the award he was given by the Sartell Chamber of Commerce after being named Healthcare Professional of the Year. Kuhl is a pain-management specialist for St. Cloud Chiropractic (in the Sartell medical campus).
Second Street Coffeehouse owner Meghan Kelsey whips up an iced mocha for a customer.
