My husband and I enjoy watching the Olympics. From the opening ceremony through all of the events to the closing, we are tuned into as many of the events as possible.

These Olympians have a lot in common with the nominated companies for the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation’s 2012 Business Champion Awards which are recognized and awarded on Oct. 11. Descriptive words that immediately come to mind are Passion, Dedication and Resilience.

You must have Passion to start a business. You may have great idea, but what needs to be in place to make that happen? Capital, equipment, product, customers, employees, facility? If you are an employee in an existing company or the next generation in the family business, you must have passion, also. Although the situation is slightly different than a startup, the pressure is similar. You want to grow the business, enhance what already exists, possibly enter new markets, or develop new products, but one thing you don’t want to do is fail. Passion fuels endurance and helps to drive you through the many obstacles and challenges ahead.