MONTICELLO - The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development has announced that Joan and Dan Silna will be honored as the 2022 Walter A. Rhulen Award recipients at this year’s Annual Meeting on September 29th at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, N.Y.

Additionally, the Partnership will recognize Kelsey Hornicek, a board member and active member, as its Distinguished Service Award winner.

The annual Rhulen Award recognizes an individual or individuals for business excellence, community commitment, and service to humanity.

Having experienced great memories as a child visiting Sullivan County and later continuing to frequent the Catskills to spend summers and holidays here Dan developed a true fondness for our area.  It is that deep love that drove Dan and Joan to invest an est. $40 million to build the expansive-yet-intimate resort, which includes an event space, 28 luxury accommodations, and a farm-to-table steakhouse.

Their shared goal for the project, which now supports 50 full- and part-time employees (most from the local area), has always been to create an entertainment hub for the community as well as a draw for visitors from far and wide. And so far, it has worked. Since opening in the Spring of 2021, The Eldred Preserve has been a significant driver in Sullivan County’s ongoing resurgence, welcoming visitors from both the Sullivan County community and well beyond.

The Homestead Restaurant + Lounge is packed nearly every evening (with Dan and Joan often on hand to greet guests personally), and The Bradstan Boutique Hotel is enjoying similar popularity. Several local/regional organizations, including the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, and the Sullivan County Partnership, have hosted several events at The Eldred Preserve (to rave reviews), with dozens of others already on the books. The Eldred Preserve has also become the go-to location for high-end weddings across the region and beyond.

For the 2022 season, The Eldred Preserve revived the original Bradstan’s New York City-caliber cabaret series as The Bradstan Coming Home Cabaret Series, hosted by Chief Operating Officer Scott Samuelson and Bradstan General Manager Edward Dudek, the original hosts of the Inn Cabaret Series. The Bradstan Coming Home Cabaret Series features 11 performances this season across various genres.

In addition, the Silnas developed The Eldred Preserve Farm on a 5 acre plot of land nearby, which now supplies organically grown produce to guests across all three service lines. Most recently, The Eldred Preserve officially opened its new pool/hot tub amenity and further plans are already in the works for additional expansion, to include an expansive spa facility (set to open in 2023).

Dan, a well-known pioneer in the textile industry and the former co-owner of the American Basketball Association’s Spirits of St. Louis, has been visiting Sullivan County since he was a boy. In fact, he and Joan first met in White Lake, where they eventually built a summer home. Joan has been personally involved with the interior design of all three spaces, putting her personal stamp on the project’s uniquely rustic, yet elegant environs.

“Sullivan County is extremely fortunate that Dan and Joan Silna have chosen to invest in Sullivan County and revive three iconic Sullivan Catskills brands,” Baez added. “Their work bolsters an accelerating trend of high-end investments taking place throughout Sullivan County highlighting our area as THE place to be.”

The Partnership will also honor Kelsey Hornicek, a lifelong resident of Sullivan County whose family has lived and worked here for generations as teachers, skilled laborers and business owners, with its Distinguished Service Award.

A graduate of Sullivan West High School, SUNY Cortland’s Environmental Science program and Marist College’s Masters in Public Administration program, Kelsey has dedicated the past 10 years working in the public and private sectors administering a variety of government and nonprofit programs addressing schools, disaster recovery programs including Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

Kelsey is currently Deputy Project Manager for CIVIX, a public sector services firm providing administrative, IT, grant and resiliency services among others for state, city and local governments throughout the United States.

“This past fiscal year Kelsey has been an invested member of the Partnership’s Membership Committee,” said SC Partnership Board of Directors Chairman Randy Resnick. “She is part of the growth of younger and more diverse board members that play an active part in the mission of the Partnership.”

“Whether she is part of the Board of Directors or injecting fresh new ideas while as an active member of Membership Committee, Kelsey has helped the Partnership grow and better communicate to better serve our members and the general business community moving forward,” he added.

The Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 29 at Resorts World Catskills from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. To RSVP or to become a sponsor, call 845.794.1110 or email Jen Cassaro at cassaro.jen@scpartnership.com.