What is the legacy that we want to leave when we are gone?  Legacy...that's a mighty big word submerged in a world where big things are generally an everyday practice.  As entrepreneurs we all think big.  That's why we started our own companies and thus we are often tasked with doing what seems impossible and making it look smooth and easy.  At no point do we actually sit down and think of what this does to our legacy...that seems to be a word too large for our britches.  Our only hope is that we do something that is successful, to varying degrees, and maybe even makes us some money.  Once in awhile we meet someone who not only accomplished the main goals entrepreneurship but also made a legacy that would be impossible to overlook.

Bob Lapkin, a man that many called friend, was such a person.  In 2001 he started a company called Creative Corporate Catering.  It specialized in delivering meals from restaurants to businesses for their meetings.  It wasn't a new concept, especially not to Bob who had a similar business that sold a couple years prior, but it was one that was built from within.  

Creative Corporate Catering exists still to this day.  A tribute to the very man who founded it, especially when he only graced part of its lifespan.  Sadly, Bob passed away only 6 years after founding the company.  What he left behind is the foundation of what some would call the human experience.  Former colleagues, employees, and partners all describe him as an old school savant of sorts.  He was kind to everyone he met and wanted to share his knowledge and experience with all of them.  No matter how large or small that person was to him, they were equals.  

I happen to be in the founding market for his company and I can tell you first hand how people feel about him.  How a particular company or client feels about Creative Corporate Catering means very little as they often range in description.  What does not vary is that they all loved him.  Extremely personable and warm hearted.  He was the type of person we all want to be in the company of.  

Bob never shy'd away from helping.  The things he did for this industry, being a pioneer, simply can not be measured.  Anyone who knew him can confirm this, without hesitation.  

Every year the RMDA is privileged to award someone for outstanding accomplishments in the industry.  It fittingly is the Bob Lapkin Award for while we may be measured by numbers and information, it is ultimately what we contribute to the very fabric of those around us that define us.  

Past Award Winners