The 2018 Top Women Champagne Reception will be Oct. 17 at River Run Country Club in Davidson. The event, hosted by Business Today for 14 years, includes a mini-business expo with a grand piano in a reception area outside the ballroom. The event honors women leaders from the worlds of business, community service, education and politics in Lake Norman and Cabarrus County. The awards have a tradition of recognizing career achievement, community service and positive impact on others. Top Women winners exemplify the contributions women have made to business and the community.

Karen Bentley, former Mecklenburg County Commissioner as well as a member of the Board of Education, will address the women. Her conversation is called “Courage to Follow Your Passion.” She is the founder and president of Bentley Consulting Group. Tickets to attend are $45 by credit card. Call 704-895-1335. The event begins at 6 pm with champagne on arrival.

Prior winners include: Cabarrus County Commissioner Diane Honeycutt; Uwharrie Bank market president Pat Horton; Cornelius-based Champion Tire executive Shelley Mahl; events entrepreneur Karen Lawrence; Robin Salzman, co-owner of Lake Norman Chrysler Jeep Dodge; Sally Ashworth, executive director of Visit Lake Norman; Ginger Griffin, owner of Ginger Griffin Marketing & Design; Angela Swett, marketing director at The McIntosh Law Firm and Laura Engel, marketing director at Aquesta Financial.

Nominees are often owners, founders or partners of small, medium and large companies or nonprofits. Applications may be submitted online at www.businesstodaync.com. Self-nominations are encouraged. The essay question this year is simple: Define Success.

To be eligible for this awards program, women leaders should be based in the “Golden Crescent,” a business region that stretches from Lake Norman to Cabarrus.