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Gwinnett Chamber Announces 2023 Small Business Award Winners

December 1, 2023 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

Gwinnett Chamber Announces 2023 Small Business Award Winners

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2023 Small Business Awards Winners pose with Gwinnett Chamber CEO Nick Masino: Danielle Hudson-Laughlin (SAGE Business Counsel), Kandi Todd (Bring The Crew), Joy Monroe (SPARC), Tim Minard (Eclipse Gaming Systems), Mark Farmer (Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center), Colleen Japuntich (NEMA), Shara Ryan (Team Ryan Automotive), Bin Liu (SimpleFloors), and Charbel Aoun (Georgia First Generation Foundation).

GWINNETT CHAMBER ANNOUNCES 2023 SMALL BUSINESS AWARD WINNERS

The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual Small Business Awards on December 1st at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville. The program recognized ten winners among 100 finalists for exceptional business practices and entrepreneurial excellence.

“Ninety percent of our members have 50 employees or less making small business a vital industry to our organization and an important one to recognize and celebrate,” said Nick Masino, President & CEO, Gwinnett Chamber and Partnership Gwinnett. “We are honored to have these amazing individuals innovating and leading our business community and would like to congratulate them on their incredible success this year.”

Rikki Klaus, producer for CNN, emceed the awards program sharing each winner’s compelling story of ingenuity, creativity, and success. Winners were announced in real time as follows:

Community Contributor Award – SPARC (Single Parents Alliance & Resource Center)
Culture Creator Award – Eclipse Gaming Systems
Emerging Entrepreneur Award – Charbel Aoun (Georgia First Generation Foundation)
Launch Award – Sugarloaf Wellness Center
Minority-Owned/Woman-Owned Business Award – Danielle Hudson-Laughlin (SAGE Business Counsel)
Small Business Award (0-5 Employees) – Bring The Crew
Small Business Award (6-24 Employees) – Team Ryan Automotive
Small Business Award (25+ Employees) – NEMA, Inc.
Support System Award – Gwinnett Entrepreneur Center
Founder Award – Bin Liu (SimpleFloors)

Former EO Atlanta President Ethan King delivered this year’s keynote address. King shared his insight and experience as an entrepreneur which led him to become a bestselling author of Wealth Beyond Money, TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and co-founder of his business, Zeus’ Closet.

To learn more, please visit GwinnettChamber.org/Small-Business-Awards.

Mike Sammond interviews keynote address speaker Ethan King, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and co-founder of Zeus’ Closet.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Small Business Assistance Program Update

August 28, 2020 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Gwinnett Small Business Assistance Program Update

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During this unique time in our history, this special Community Spotlight series on Business RadioX highlights local businesses and organizations, sharing the good work they are doing to serve the community during the viral pandemic.

In the latest interview of the series, we hear from Mark Farmer, Economic Development Manager with the Gwinnett County Economic Development Office, who provides an update on the county’s Small Business Assistance Program. The program offers loans and grants to small businesses in need of assistance during Covid-19.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Mark Farmer with the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development & Partnership Gwinnett, Mark Butler with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, and Peter Hildebrandt with SCORE

April 24, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Mark Farmer with the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development & Partnership Gwinnett, Mark Butler with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, and Peter Hildebrandt with SCORE

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Mark Farmer, Mark Butler, Peter Hildebrandt

Mark Farmer/Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development

The Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development department is tasked with implementing the Partnership Gwinnett initiative, which is the community and economic development strategy for the county. The department works to foster business growth in the county.

Mark Butler/University of Georgia Small Business Development Center

The mission of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The SBDC provides one-on-one consulting, continuing education, and access to research for its clients. One-on-one consulting services are provided at no cost to the small business owner.

Peter Hildebrandt/SCORE

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They have been doing this for over 50 years. Since their work is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to a network of over 11,000 volunteers, they are able to deliver their services at no charge or at very low cost. Anyone can sit down for mentoring sessions with a SCORE mentor and it’s always free. The SCORE mentors are all successful business people who have either started their own business or been executives in larger organizations.