“Member Spotlight” features and highlights businesses and business leaders that are members of the Gwinnett Chamber. This month’s episode showcases three of the recent 2019 Gwinnett Small Business Award Winners.
The Gwinnett Chamber’s NEW Small Business Awards showcase those that dare to start, sustain and succeed and the community that supports them. They are the risk-takers, the problem solvers, the dreamers and the doers.
Naveed Tharwani/Gwinnett Drugs (Emerging Entrepreneur Award)
Gwinnett Drugs started out as a mom and pop pharmacy here in Lawrenceville, Georgia, by Gwinnett County natives. Our staff has achieved their dream of creating a modern, interactive pharmacy that provides a high level of quality, care and consultation to our patients. Aside from going the extra mile to ensure we keep our patients up to date and informed on their medications, Gwinnett Drugs is also one of the few sterile compounding pharmacies in the state of Georgia.
Veronica Guobadia/Care4All Children Services (Community Contributor Award)
Care4All Children Services is licensed by the State of Georgia through the Department of Human Services – Office of Regulatory Child Care (DHS – ORCC) to provide placements and social services to children in foster care. The agency holds a contract with the Office of Provider Management (OPM) and partners with the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
Care4All Children Services recruits, trains and recommends families to OPM for approval in order to obtain a license to foster children in their homes. Once a home is licensed and children are placed for care, Care4All provides follow up social services to ensure that the basic needs of the children and parents are met. As a Therapeutic Foster Care Agency, Care4All requires more training for parents initially and on-going. The agency also provides more support for children and caregivers. Treatment foster care is preferred over residential or group home-care because it maintains children in family settings, which in turn reduces incidences of trauma. To ensure the safety and security of children, Care4All’s intensive foster parent training includes crisis management and emergency response.
Glenn Kruse/UGA’s Small Business Development Center (Advocate Award)
The University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides tools, training and resources to help small businesses grow and succeed. Designated as one of Georgia’s top providers of small business assistance, the SBDC has 17 offices ranging from Rome to Valdosta to serve the needs of Georgia’s business community. Since 1977, their network of partners has helped construct a statewide ecosystem to foster the spirit, support, and success of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs and innovators.
The Small Business Development Center, a Public Service and Outreach Extension of The University of Georgia, is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center is nationally accredited by the Association of SBDCs.
