FIRST ANNUAL GOLDEN BROOM AWARD PRESENTED TO OWNER OF THE REX
(June 2, 2009)

The staff of the Downtown Billings Business Improvement District (BID – Purple People) voted to present the very first Golden Broom award to downtown property owner and restaurateur, Gene Burgad.  The Purple People, who are charged with keeping downtown Billings clean and safe, wanted to recognize the importance of property owners who are dedicated to keeping our downtown fresh, vibrant and inviting by keeping their little corner of the community clean.  The clean team noted that the sidewalks surrounding Burgad’s restaurant, The Rex, are almost always swept clean of litter and free of trash.  The team also noted that many, many more owners and proprietors do exactly the same thing so the decision was a very difficult one. In fact, the BID noted at their annual Stakeholder Social that Mike Mathew and Kay Foster came in a very close 2^nd place.  Gene was quick to jokingly point out the second place is still second place.  In fact, he requested that Kay and Mike be chosen to present the award to him.  As a sign of solidarity and support, they agreed, without reservation. 

The actual award is a broom painted gold.  Gene was instructed that it would be his duty to pass the “trophy” on to next year’s winner only after he “personalized” the broom with something that would be unique to him or The Rex. In the years to come, this traveling trophy should develop into something unique, something different, like downtown.