Alignable.com, an online referral network for small businesses, has chosen Kristen Hertzog as Ephrata's 2022 Businessperson of the Year. The result was announced after a national search for leaders who have gone above and beyond guiding peers and supporting entire communities as they strive to recover.

The 2022 contest marked a 64% increase in participation over last year. In all, 2,400-plus small business owners were elected by their peers to be their local Businesspeople of the Year across the U.S. and Canada.

During the contest, which ran from Jan. 10 to Feb. 11, more than 160,000 votes and more than 32,000 testimonials were posted praising thousands of local leaders for helping their peers and communities through a turbulent year with many challenges.

Hertzog is the co-owner and CEO of Hertzog Homestead LLC, a 23-acre hospitality complex in Ephrata. It includes a bed-and-breakfast; a rustic barn event venue; the Limestone Gift Shoppe, which features items created by more than 15 local crafters; and 20 acres of preserved farmland. The property has been in the Hertzog family since 1776. More information is available at http://www.hertzoghomestead.com.

Hertzog has created unique ways to help provide partnerships with local caterers, florists, photographers, coordinators and other event-related businesses through the Hertzog Homestead event venue.

She has also helped local crafters struggling to start small businesses with business coaching through her Limestone Gift Shoppe. Her influence reached far beyond the local community, and she used her Harvard certification in leadership coaching strategies to coach Ephrata business leaders and others as far away as Haiti.