The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce has announced Rachelle Long, founder and executive director of Taste of the Junction, as the recipient of the 2025 Mel Essex Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award recognizes community members who have made an impact by fostering and supporting small business success and inspiring others. Long will be honored at the fifth annual Athene Black & Brown Business Summit on April 17 at the Sheraton West Des Moines Hotel. Long, a William Penn graduate, leads Taste of the Junction, a nonprofit celebrating Valley Junction’s cultural history. Long also co-created reentry and mentoring programs for individuals leaving incarceration and taught life skills and parenting classes at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. “I am beyond humbled and honored to be receiving this award in a long line of other award winners in the state of Iowa,” Long said in a prepared statement. “Being an entrepreneur myself and supporting others is critical to what I believe in.”