MONTICELLO, NY — The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development (Partnership) announced that Joan and Dan Silna will receive the 2022 Walter A. Rhulen Award.

They will be honored at the annual meeting of the Partnership at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 29 at Resorts World Catskills.

Additionally, Kelsey Hornicek, a board member, will receive the Distinguished Service Award.

The Rhulen Award recognizes an individual or individuals for business excellence, community commitment and service to humanity.

Dan Silna visited the Catskills as a child and developed a true fondness for the area, a spokesperson said. “It is that deep love that drove Dan and Joan to invest an estimated $40 million to build the [Eldred Preserve, an] expansive, yet intimate resort, which includes an event space, 28 luxury accommodations, and a farm-to-table steakhouse.”

The Eldred Preserve now has 50 full- and part-time employees. The goal, the statement said, has been “to create an entertainment hub for the community.”

Since it opened in the spring of 2021, the Eldred Preserve has been a significant driver in Sullivan County’s ongoing resurgence, the Partnership said, welcoming visitors from both the Sullivan County community and well beyond.

The resort features the Homestead Restaurant and Lounge, and the Bradstan Boutique Hotel. In addition, the Silnas developed the farm at the Eldred Preserve on a five-acre plot of land nearby. It now supplies organically grown produce to guests across all three businesses.

Dan Silna, who worked in the textile industry and is the former co-owner of the American Basketball Association’s Spirits of St. Louis team, met Joan in White Lake, where they eventually built a summer home. Joan Silna has been involved with the interior design of all three spaces.

The Partnership will also honor Kelsey Hornicek, a lifelong resident of Sullivan County. Her family has lived and worked there for generations as teachers, skilled laborers and business owners. Hornicek has received the Distinguished Service Award.

A graduate of Sullivan West High School, SUNY Cortland’s environmental science program and Marist College’s masters in public administration program, Hornicek has worked in the public and private sectors. She administers a variety of government and nonprofit programs that address schools and disaster-recovery programs. She is currently the deputy project manager for CIVIX, a public-sector services firm that provides administrative, IT, grant and resiliency services, among others, for state, city and local governments throughout the United States.  

“This past fiscal year Kelsey has been an invested member of the Partnership’s membership committee,” said board chair Randy Resnick. “She is part of the growth of younger and more diverse board members [who play] an active part in the mission of the Partnership.”