The Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce will usher in a new year of leadership, service, and vision by hosting the 2026 Rammys Outstanding Business Awards Dinner and Board Installation on Thursday, February 12, at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort and Spa.
Held from 5 to 8 p.m., the annual celebration brings together community leaders, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and emerging professionals for an evening that honors excellence while setting the tone for the year ahead.
This year’s Rammys arrive with a renewed sense of purpose and a refreshed look, centered on the theme “Leading with Heart.” The premise highlights compassion, resilience, and people-first leadership, qualities the Chamber says are essential to sustaining a thriving business community.
A defining feature of the 2026 program is the expanded role of the Young Professionals Network. Members of YPN will serve as the official award presenters, creating a deliberate bridge between established leaders and the next generation shaping Rancho Mirage’s future. The program also includes a special component in which young professionals recognize industry legends, reinforcing the idea that honoring the past and investing in the future are inseparable.
Katie Stice, IOM, Rancho Mirage Chamber CEO
Katie Slimko, IOM, president and chief executive officer of the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce, said the decision reflects the Chamber’s evolving vision.
“By inviting our YPN participants and leaders to take the stage, we are showcasing a new side of Rancho Mirage,” Slimko-Stice said. “These individuals represent the future of our business community. Giving them a visible role alongside long-standing leaders demonstrates what it truly means to lead with heart.”
The evening will recognize a broad range of organizations and individuals whose work has made a lasting impact on Rancho Mirage and the greater Coachella Valley.
Honorees for the 2026 Rammys include Dirty Desert Collective as Small Business of the Year, Si Bon as Medium Business of the Year, and Mission Hills Country Club as Large Business of the Year. The Center for Employment Training will receive the Nonprofit of the Year award.
The Ambassadors of the Year honor resulted in a tie, recognizing Brianna Miller of Voices for Children and Mark Brady of Mark D. Brady Photography. Cheers Coffee at The River Rancho Mirage will be honored with the Rising Star Award, while LifeStream Blood Bank will receive the Heart of Rancho Mirage award.
David E. Scott of Decorators Depot has been named Business Person of the Year. The Impact Award will be presented to College of the Desert, and the Innovation Award will go to Cotino, a Storyliving by Disney community. The evening’s highest individual honor, the Barbara Sinatra Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award, will be presented to Ambassador David J. Lane of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.
In addition to celebrating award recipients, the event will include the installation of the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for the coming year.
Maddy Botello of Wally’s Desert Turtle will serve as chair of the board, with Jay Critcher of Cotino, a Storyliving by Disney community, as immediate past chair. Joyce Kiehl of Visit Greater Palm Springs will serve as chair-elect. Austin Beneteau of Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial will serve as treasurer, and Michael Murgas of Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa will serve as secretary.
Board directors being installed include representatives from a wide cross-section of regional industries and institutions, including Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Eisenhower Health, Southern California Edison, Mission Hills Country Club, The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort and Spa, and The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, among others.
The City of Rancho Mirage is serving as the title sponsor for the event, with support from numerous presenting, community, and media sponsors across the valley.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are currently available through the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce. You can buy tickets here.
Chamber leaders say the evening is more than an awards ceremony. It is a shared moment that reflects where Rancho Mirage has been and where it is headed.
