Four Under 40 Award Recipient: Meet Alex Bitter

Celebrating The Next Wave of Leaders in the Brainerd Lakes Area

Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce

Meet Alex Bitter, one of the recipients of the inaugural Four Under 40 Awards. These awards are hosted by the WAVE Young Professionals Network (a program by the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce) and recognize four outstanding leaders between the ages of 18 and 39 who live and work in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Earlier this summer, over 100 nominations were received for the Four Under 40 Awards. An anonymous panel of judges reviewed and scored the submissions based on the following criteria: professional excellence, leadership, community involvement, and potential for future success. Alex Bitter rose to the top and was selected by the judging panel as one of the honored award winners.

Four Under 40: Alex Bitter

Civil Engineer, VP | Widseth

Alex joined Widseth in 2017 as an engineer in training. Since then, he has advanced his career by becoming a licensed engineer, shareholder in the firm, and a project manager leading complex, highly visible projects. He also completed the Blue Ox Leadership Experience program to hone his leadership skills.

He smoothly handles balancing communications with clients, adjacent property owners, and contractors while keeping all parties’ needs in mind. Alex delivers consistent quality on the projects he leads and the work he provides. His experience includes many projects that our community and visitors would recognize—including Baxter’s major street improvements of 2020–2024. He also played an active role on the Grand View Lodge Hotel, North Park Rec. Center and Garden Cottages. These are just a few examples of the excellence and rigor that Alex has shown on over 250 Widseth projects he’s worked on.

Alex’s participation in community groups shows his eagerness to grow as a leader and how he gives back to the community. He’s on the Anchor Board for the WAVE Young Professionals Network, and he’s involved with the Brainerd Jaycees—donating his time, talent, and energy to helping those in the Brainerd Lakes.

Bridging community awareness and business acumen make Alex an excellent choice for this award.

“Receiving the Four Under 40 Award is a true honor for me. My involvement with WAVE (Young Professionals Network) has given back to me tenfold in my leadership journey, and I’m proud to be a part of helping others along on their journey.”

Alex Bitter

Q&A with Alex

32.

I have been with Widseth for 7 years.

I plan to take on additional roles within Widseth to help work on the company.

Well, first I would take them through my construction projects to show them what we are working on. Then we would go to either BIR, the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, or Hunts Point Gun Club.

That depends on the day! Some days it’s the ‘Bob the Builder’ theme song, and other days it is ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ by Five Finger Death Punch.

The Four Under 40 Awards Gala

An Awards Gala will celebrate Alex and the other Four Under 40 award recipients on September 19th at The Gathering Events Center in Crosslake. Of these four winners, one individual will be named the “Young Professional of the Year” and will receive additional recognition. The Young Professional of the Year will be announced live at the end of the Awards Gala.

With support from The Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, our Philanthropic Sponsor, each Four Under 40 winner will receive $500 for the charity of their choice. The Young Professional of the Year will receive an additional $500 for their charity.

The public is invited to attend and celebrate the accomplishments of the award winners. You do not have to be a WAVE or Chamber member to attend. You also do not need to be under 40 to attend—all are welcome.