> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.theregiononline.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Region Beacon Nomination Guidelines > Learn who can be nominated for a Region Beacon, how businesses are selected, eligibility requirements, and what happens after a Northwest Indiana business is chosen. # Region Beacon Nomination Guidelines The Region Beacon recognizes Northwest Indiana businesses and organizations that stand out through their service, story, work, or connection to the community. Community nominations help The Region Online discover businesses worth highlighting. These guidelines explain who can be nominated, how selections are made, and what happens when a business is chosen. ## Who Can Be Nominated? To be considered for a Region Beacon feature, a business or organization must have a qualifying connection to Northwest Indiana within one of the counties served by The Region Online: * Lake County * Porter County * LaPorte County * Newton County The business does **not** need to have a traditional brick-and-mortar location. Eligible businesses may include: * Storefront or office-based businesses * Home-based businesses * Online businesses * Mobile or service-area businesses * Nonprofit organizations Eligibility is based on the type of business: * **Brick-and-mortar or office-based businesses:** The business location must be in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, or Newton County. * **Home-based businesses:** The business owner must reside in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, or Newton County. * **Online businesses:** The business must be owned and primarily operated from one of the four eligible counties. * **Mobile or service-area businesses:** The business must be based in one of the four eligible counties. Businesses and organizations that do not meet one of these Northwest Indiana eligibility requirements are not eligible for Region Beacon consideration. ## Business Legitimacy and Eligibility The Region Beacon is intended to recognize established businesses and organizations that are legitimately operating in Northwest Indiana. A nominated business must comply with any licenses, permits, registrations, or other legal requirements that apply to its type of business. This requirement applies to all businesses, including home-based, online, mobile, and brick-and-mortar businesses. The Region Online may verify basic business information before selecting a nominee. If we are unable to reasonably confirm that a business is operating legitimately, we may choose not to consider the nomination. A business does not need to have a storefront or commercial office to qualify. Home-based businesses are welcome, provided the owner resides in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, or Newton County and the business meets any applicable requirements for legally operating. ## Who Can Submit a Nomination? Anyone may submit a nomination, including: * Customers * Employees * Business owners * Friends or family members * Other local business owners * Members of the community Self-nominations are welcome. We are more interested in the reason behind the nomination than who submits it. ## What Makes a Strong Nomination? There is no single type of business or organization we are looking for. A strong nomination explains what makes the nominee worth recognizing and gives us enough information to understand its story or impact. Examples may include: * Providing outstanding service to customers * Making a positive contribution to the local community * Supporting local organizations, events, or causes * Creating jobs or opportunities in Northwest Indiana * Building a business with an interesting or meaningful story * Going above and beyond for customers or employees * Offering a product, service, or experience that stands out locally * Demonstrating a strong connection to the Region A business does not need to be large, well known, or have a large social media following to be considered. ## How Are Region Beacons Selected? The Region Online reviews nominations and makes the final selection. We may consider factors such as: * The reason for the nomination * The business or organization's connection to Northwest Indiana * Customer or community impact * The strength of its story * Specific examples provided by the nominator * Whether the business would make an informative or interesting feature for the community The number of nominations a business receives does **not** determine who is selected. Region Beacon is not a public voting contest or popularity competition. ## Does a Nomination Guarantee a Feature? No. Submitting a nomination means the business or organization will be considered for a future Region Beacon feature. It does not guarantee selection. A nomination may also remain under consideration for a future feature even if the business is not selected immediately. ## Does a Business Need to Be Listed on The Region Online? No. A business does not need to have an existing listing on The Region Online to be nominated. However, if a business is selected as a Region Beacon, it will need to have a listing on The Region Online. If the business is not already listed, our team will contact the owner or manager to gather the information needed to create the listing. Once the listing is added, the business will be given access so its owner or authorized representative can review, update, and manage the information. There is no requirement to purchase a paid membership to be considered or selected as a Region Beacon. ## Can a Business Be Nominated More Than Once? Yes. Businesses and organizations that have been nominated before may be nominated again. A previous nomination does not prevent a business from being considered in the future. ## Can a Previous Region Beacon Be Selected Again? Yes, but a business or organization may only be selected as a Region Beacon **once within a 12-month period**. This allows us to recognize a wider variety of Northwest Indiana businesses while still allowing previous Region Beacons to be considered again in the future. ## Can The Region Online Select a Business That Wasn't Nominated? Yes. Community nominations are one way we discover businesses, but The Region Online may also identify potential Region Beacons through local events, community involvement, recommendations, directory activity, or our own research. The same eligibility and selection guidelines apply. ## What Happens After a Business Is Selected? If a business or organization is selected, The Region Online will contact the owner, manager, or another authorized representative. This is an important part of the Region Beacon process. Rather than simply writing a traditional business spotlight based on information found online, we want the people behind the business to help tell their own story. We may ask about: * How the business got started * The people behind it * Why they chose to serve Northwest Indiana * Challenges or milestones along the way * What makes the business different * Their connection to the local community * What they want customers and residents to know about them The final Region Beacon feature will be developed using information provided directly by the business owner or manager whenever possible. ## Will Every Region Beacon Include a Video? No. When possible, The Region Online may visit the selected business and record a video to accompany the Region Beacon feature. Whether a video is produced will depend on: * Our availability * The type of business or organization * The location * Whether the business and its story are a good fit for a video feature * Scheduling with the business owner or manager Being selected as a Region Beacon does not guarantee that a video will be produced. A business may still receive a full Region Beacon feature even when a video is not included. ## What Makes the Region Beacon Different? The goal of the Region Beacon is not simply to promote a business. We want to share the story behind it. Whenever possible, that story comes directly from the people who built, own, manage, or operate the business. The Region Online provides the platform, but the business gets the opportunity to tell the community who they are, what they do, and why their work matters to them. ## Our Goal Region Beacon is designed to help people discover the businesses and organizations that are part of Northwest Indiana. We want the program to remain fair, useful, and community-focused. Community nominations help us find the stories. The businesses help us tell them. The Region Online maintains editorial responsibility for the final feature. ## Ready to Nominate a Business? Know a Northwest Indiana business or organization that deserves some recognition? [Nominate a Region Beacon](https://theregiononline.com/) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.