2025 Celebrating Business Luncheon to celebrate students, award recipients

Concordia University, Nebraska will host its annual Celebrating Business luncheon, an occasion that brings together business students as well as accomplished businesspeople from the area, on April 11. The event will honor several of these students as well as award recipients Trudy Meyer and Ryan Burger.  

The event takes place each year as a program of Concordia Nebraska’s Institute for Ethical Leadership. The institute’s other outreach projects include the on-campus 10:31 Coffee Shop, the Concordia Business Club, the annual Leadership & Ethics Symposium, Collegiate Leadership Competition team and other partnership projects.  

The luncheon’s program will include the presentation of awards to outstanding business department students by Professor of Business Administration Dr. Curt Beck, an introduction to the Institute of Ethical Leadership, an address by keynote speaker Charlie Colón and the presentation of the 2025 Outstanding Woman in Business and Servant Leader in Business awards. 

Keynote speaker Charlie Colón is the owner of the Chick-Fil-A franchise in SouthPointe Pavilions of Lincoln, Neb. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Colón says that his daily mission is to “create a family-like culture where employees can thrive and deeply care for others every day by treating each person with honor, dignity, respect and love.”  

The 2025 recipient of the Outstanding Woman in Business award is Trudy Meyer ‘92, a partner with BMG Certified Public Accountants in Lincoln, Nebraska. Meyer also serves as the director of the Concordia Foundation Nebraska, a trustee of the Lutheran Education Foundation and a regent for Concordia University, Nebraska. Meyer also volunteers extensively, serving Faith Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Trinity Lutheran Church near Walton, Nebraska, as well as organizations like the United Way and several ALS advocacy groups.  

Adjunct Professor of Business Ryan Burger ‘04 is the 2025 recipient of the Servant Leader in Business award. Burger graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting in 2004 and has taught auditing courses at Concordia Nebraska since 2010. He also serves as a CPA with Gabriel, Burger & Else, CPAs, a position he’s held since 2009, as well as acting as a regent for Concordia Nebraska. In addition to his professional work, he also engages with many organizations that aim to serve others, including the Mental Health Association of Nebraska and the Seward Memorial Library Foundation.  

The Paul H. and Mary Ann Koehler Department of Business at Concordia University, Nebraska allows students to be part of a community with a commitment to excellence and engage with faculty who will support them on their path to a positive future. Learn more about the business department here.