The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce recognized three small businesses and one nonprofit organization for entrepreneurial excellence on Wednesday during the 2013 Small Business Awards Luncheon at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Headlight Renew Doctor, Inc. won the award for companies with 1-20 Employees, while Hullco Exteriors was honored in the 21-50 Employees category and Mike Collins & Associates, Inc. was recognized in the 51-200 Employees category. The award for Nonprofit of the Year went to The McKamey Animal Center.
“The Chamber has nearly 2,000 member companies, and 93 percent of them are small businesses,” said Ron Harr, Chattanooga Chamber president and CEO, at the event. “But being small doesn’t stop these companies from having a major economic impact. That’s why the Chattanooga Chamber puts so much effort into supporting small business growth. From our INCubator at the Hamilton County Business Development Center to our Chamber Councils and member discounts, we maintain a strong focus on delivering value to small businesses and helping them grow.”
To qualify for a Small Business Award, companies must have owned and operated a business in the Chattanooga MSA for a minimum of three years, have shown exemplary success within their industry and have displayed a high level of community involvement and corporate citizenship. Nonprofit agencies must be committed to ethical practices, engage in local volunteerism and exert a positive impact on the community. Candidates for the awards come from the Chattanooga Chamber membership.
After the awards presentation concluded, many attendees moved to the hall adjacent to the luncheon to participate in EXPO Chattanooga, the region’s largest showcase of local business, products and services. More than 200 exhibitors participated in the event, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Small Business Awards Luncheon was sponsored by EPB, Volkswagen Chattanooga, NovaCopy, Sandler Training, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel, P.C., Decosimo Certified Public Accountants, SoundForce and Unum.
About the 2013 Winners
Headlight Renew Doctor, Inc. (1-20 Employees)
For local auto enthusiast Chris Watts, what began as side project in a residential Ringgold garage became his ticket out of unemployment and into business. In 2008, Watts launched Headlight Renew Doctor, Inc. as an innovative method for upgrading aging car headlights. With Watts’ unique patent pending process and proprietary sealant, the application drastically improves luminosity and prolongs the overall life of the headlights. In only five years of business, Headlight Renew Doctor has already grown into a thriving six-person enterprise with sales projected to reach $4 million by next year.
Hullco Exteriors (21-50 Employees)
As Chattanooga’s largest home improvement company, Hullco Exteriors is a family-owned enterprise specializing in everything from windows, doors and siding to decking and sunrooms. Under Matt Hullander’s ownership, the company has experienced a 277 percent growth rate and currently employs a full-time staff of 20. As a result of their teamwork, Hullco Exteriors has won Remodeling’s Big 50 Award, Replacement Contractor’s Contractor of the Year Award and GuildQuality’s Guild Master Award. Hullco Exteriors is a former Small Business Award finalist and has also been named a Times Free Press Best of the Best company.
Mike Collins & Associates, Inc. (51-200 Employees)
Since Mike Collins & Associates, Inc. began in 1987, the IT company has grown from a two-person operation to a thriving 64-employee enterprise that serves more than 1,750 customers nationwide. Over the years, Mike Collins & Associates has evolved from computer hardware sales and maintenance to networking, and more recently, to cloud-based computing providing complete IT solutions. With headquarters in Chattanooga and two additional branches in Nashville and Knoxville, Mike Collins & Associates is currently planning to expand its local facility to support increasing data center growth, warehouse storage and additional employees.
The McKamey Animal Center (Nonprofit)
Founded in 2008, The McKamey Animal Center is Chattanooga’s first full-service, self-contained open admission public animal shelter. Established to reduce the number of stray and unwanted animals euthanized locally, McKamey offers a suite of animal care and education services. In addition to launching several companion animal programs, McKamey played a lead role in establishing the new comprehensive Animal Ordinance. McKamey’s many honors include recognition as one of the ASPC’s Top Ten Shelters in the U.S. and being showcased on Lifetime Network’s Designing Spaces as part of series called Pet Spaces of Hope.
About the 2013 Finalists
1-20 Employees Category (Finalists: Communication VIP and Yogi’s PrimoPromo)
Founded in 2010 by expert communicator Vincent Ivan Phipps, Communication VIP (Very Important People skills) is a one-stop-“Communication”-shop for professionals looking to elevate their leadership, public speaking and interpersonal skills. Faced with a crisis in 2011, Phipps launched an aggressive 90-day sales and marketing campaign. Three months later, Communication VIP had survived and was growing rapidly. Today the company enjoys a continual quarterly growth rate of 45 percent, as well as a growing North American customer base and high approval ratings.
Founded in 2008 by local entrepreneur April Maddox, Yogi’s PrimoPromo offers a full suite of services in advertising specialties and promotional items. Known for its skill in communicating corporate identities, the company’s work ranges from logo branding and website design to original items customized for individual clients, such as a Monopoly-style board game showcasing a customer’s branding. Since its first year of operation, the business has added 12 employees and generated a gross revenue gain of 161 percent. In the year ahead, Yogi’s PrimoPromo will pursue an ambitious growth strategy, including plans to establish its first commercial showroom in Chattanooga.
21-50 Employees Category (Finalists: March Adams & Associates, Inc. and Woople, LLC)
For over 30 years, March Adams & Associates, Inc. has served as one of the area’s premier full-service engineering firms. The company’s portfolio includes work for major companies like Dupont, Chattem, and Alstom as well as landmark projects such as the 21st Century Waterfront, the Tennessee Aquarium Expansion, and the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Corporate Campus. Over the years March Adams has helped local companies expand their operations while making significant contributions to Chattanooga’s transformation into a preferred destination for both tourists and business investors.
With the goal of making professional learning affordable and convenient, Woople, LLC launched an e-learning platform that allows clients to deliver specialized curriculum to individuals and groups on a need-by-need basis. A mere four years into its existence, Woople has already more than quadrupled its employees, produced a 1200 percent increase in revenue and purchased an additional building on Frazier Avenue. In the process, Woople has grown from a local company into an emerging industry leader with national and even international customers.
51-200 Employees Category (Finalists: Chattanooga Allergy Clinic and SupportSeven)
Founded in 1975, the Chattanooga Allergy Clinic is the region’s longest-established full-service, allergy-specific clinic. Over the last decade, the clinic has experienced explosive growth – expanding from five employees and one office to more than 50 staffers, five offices and seven providers. Most recently, the Chattanooga Allergy Clinic opened a satellite office at Erlanger on Volkswagen Drive. In addition, Chattanooga Allergy Clinic earned designation as a Top 100 Georgia Alumni Business for 2013, and one of its physicians has won the Times Free Press’ Best of the Best Allergist for four consecutive years.
SupportSeven launched in 2007 as a Chattanooga-based customer contact center undergoing rapid growth. The company has since added nearly 200 employees. In 2012, SupportSeven expanded its call center to accommodate a new training facility, 60 new call center seats and an open floor plan visible to management. SupportSeven has also incorporated cloud-based software into its operations, enabling it to offer virtual agent consultation and to reduce costs for both the company and its clients. Moving forward, SupportSeven has ambitious plans to increase its staff to more than 500 employees within the next five to seven years.
Nonprofit Category (Finalists: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area and Teen Challenge of the Mid-South)
Since 1986 Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga Area has partnered with supporters and volunteers to build decent, affordable housing and to bring the benefits of homeownership to the community’s low-income families. The organization has constructed more than 240 homes, which it sells to partner families at no profit and no interest. Habitat for Humanity also operates the ReStore, a retail store that accepts donations of new and gently-used home and building items and then sells them to the public at a significantly reduced cost. All proceeds benefit the organization’s home building program.
Teen Challenge of the Mid-South is an organization that works to restore the lives of people ages 18-50 who suffer from life controlling addictions. With 35 years working on the front lines of recovery, Teen Challenge operates a Residential Program supporting nearly 40 enrollees in its 12-month rehabilitation process. In 2008, the organization completed a $3.1 million capital campaign to expand and renovate its facilities. Over the years, the organization has reached more than 4,000 people with its low-cost services and today enjoys an 86 percent success rate.