Chamber News Desk
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber honors region's top small businesses at Duke Energy Center
CINCINNATI, May 23, 2007 - The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber honored the region's top small businesses today at its annual Small Business Excellence Awards Luncheon at the Duke Energy Center, Downtown, attended by more than 630 business and community leaders.
Paul Hemmer Companies took home the top honor for Small Business of the Year (51-250 employee companies) and Wright Brothers was named Small Business of the Year (1-50 employee companies). Awards were presented in five other categories - honorees follow - and five companies were also honored with the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility at the event.
Jerry Kathman, president and CEO of LPK, delivered the keynote address for the event, "Building Leadership Brands by Design." LPK is an international design agency with a proven track record in building leadership brands.
2007 Small Business Excellence Awards, presented by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber:
Emerging Business of the Year
- Honoree: World Pac Paper LLC, Edgar L. Smith, Jr., president and CEO
- Runner-up: Embrace - A Sweets Company LLC, owned and operated by mother-and-daughter team of Sandra and Brandi Daniels.
Nonprofit of the Year
- Honoree: The Wellness Community, Rick Bryan, executive director
- Runner-up: Crayons to Computers, Shannon Carter, CEO
Minority Business of the Year
- Honoree: Megen Construction Co., Evans Nwanko, founder and president
- Runner-up: MBJ Consultants Inc., Monroe Barnes Jr., president
Retailer/Hospitality Business of the Year
- Honoree: Prestige Audio Visual, Tony Ramstetter, founder and president
- Runner-up: City Barbeque LLC, Rick Malir, company president and co-founder
10 under 10 (small businesses with fewer than 10 employees recognized as a group)
- Anthony Cole Training Group, Tony Cole, founder and CEO
- Art Design Consultants, Litsa Spanos, president
- Aunt Flora and Company. Katrina Mincy, owner
- Best Practice Advisors LLC, Brad Forsythe, founder
- Blue Whitespace, Lisa Boh and Heather Fricke, owning partners
- DHArchitects, Derek Howard, president
- Fresh Restaurant and Catering, Jonathan Dwight, founder
- Heaven & Earth Building Services Inc., Alonzo Leach, CEO
- Holmes Training and Development, Patti Holmes, president
- Photonics Graphics Inc., Alan Brown, president
Small Business of the Year (1-50 employee companies)
- Honoree: Wright Brothers, Charlie C. Wright, CEO and Owner
- Runner-up: Truepoint Capital LLC, Michael Chasnoff, president.
Small Business of the Year (51-250 employee companies)
- Honoree: Paul Hemmer Companies, Paul Hemmer Jr. company president and CEO
- Runner-up: Schiff, Kreidler-Shell Inc., Tom Dietz, CEO
The 2007 recipients of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility for the Cincinnati USA market also were announced at the Chamber luncheon. The Sloan Awards are part of the When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce – an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – and the Twiga Foundation to recognize businesses that are dedicated to making work "work" for the employer and the employees. Through When Work Works, these organizations provide research, resources and recognition to businesses nationwide, and share the results of the research on creating effective and flexible workplaces that meet the needs of the 21st century.
The Cincinnati USA recipients of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility:
- Barnes Dennig & Co.
- The CSC Consulting Group
- Deloitte & Touche USA, LLP, and its Subsidiaries
- FS Creations Inc.
- Physical Therapy Options Inc.
For more information, contact:
Raymond L. Buse III
Director, Public Relations
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber
300 Carew Tower, 441 Vine St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513.579.3194
bbuse@cincinnatichamber.com