Small Business Award Winners Honored at Luncheon

Three local businesses were honored Thursday at the 2011 Small Business/Industry Excellence of the Year Awards Luncheon, presented by the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and held at .

This program annually recognizes small businesses for "quality and excellence" as exemplified by growth, productivity, customer service, job creation and overall contribution to the community.

, 4693 19th St. Ct. E., took home the chamber's Industry Excellence Award.

Three businesses also received the Small Business of the Year Award: LaPensee Plumbing & Pools, 401 Manatee Ave. in Holmes Beach; , 9115 58th Drive E., Suite B; and United Systems Computer Group, Inc., 417 12th St. W., Suite 218.

There were 98 nominations this year, and the winners were chosen from among 27 finalists. The judges were all former winners of the Small Business of the Year Award and members of the Manatee Chamber Small Business Council.

2011 NOMINEES and OWNERS

Advanced Technology Services & Support, Jerry Solomon

Anexio, Inc., Jeffrey Nelson

Beck's Café & Restaurant, Ursula & Werner Beck

Clean As A Whistle of Manatee, LLC, Deborah Cassidy

Cruz Portrait Design, Manny & Mary Jane Cruz

Digital Image Business Solutions, Gregg Anderson

FranChoice Consulting and The Educated Franchisee, Rick Bisio

Frederick Auto Repair, Inc., Robert Frederick

Frederick Derr & Company, Inc., Frederick Derr and Keith Ravazzoli

Grapevine Communications International, Inc., Angela Massaro-Fain & John Fain

Jess Jewelers, Thomas Jess Silverberg

Key Glass, LLC, Sheril & Greg Burkhart

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), Dr. Chet Evans

Learning Unlimited, Jessica LeBoff

Magee Sign Service, Inc., Kathy Hoiby, Joan Byrne, Jack May and Ben Bakker

North River Dental, Dr. Richard Steinberg and Dr. Dan Delrose

Rayco Electric, Inc., Raymond Felske

Rusty Crickett's Coastal City Cottage, Charlene Kennedy

Salon Central, Hope Hall-Poole

Staebler Appraisal and Consulting, Patricia Staebler

Suncoast Business Technologies, LLC, Kevin Baylor

Susan Humphreys, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Susan Humphreys

The Translation Link, LLC, Alina Mugford