Realize Bradenton Awarded at Manatee Small Business of the Year Luncheon

From The Manatee Chamber of Commerce:

The 2016 Manatee Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon was held on Friday, August 12, 2016 at the IMG Academy Golf Club. 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. The Manatee business community is supported by many deserving non-profit organizations that help strengthen our business environment and improve our quality of life. Therefore, this year, we’ve included a Non-Profit of the Year Category.

Presenting Sponsors of the Awards for 2016 were the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, Bradenton Herald and BB&T; Supporting Sponsors include Pandora University Town Center, Connect Bradenton and Port Manatee.

This year there were over 100 nominations and the winners were chosen from among the 34 finalists. The 2016 judges included Philip Brown, United Way of Manatee County; Don Ide, Trophy Case; Karen LaPensee, LaPensee Plumbing, Pools & Air; David Spire, Entech and Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified. Judges screened applications and conducted personal interviews as a part of the selection process.

The Manatee Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the 4 winners for 2016:

Non-Profit Organization
Johnette Isham
Realize Bradenton
1015 Manatee Ave W.
Bradenton, FL 34205

Category I: Small Business Under $249,000
L.A. Events, Inc.
Lisa Arrigo Hoban
5218 15th Street W
Palmetto, FL 34221

Category II: Small Business $250,000 to $1 Million

PCI Communications, Inc.
Lenny & Valeri Longo
1202 Gary Ave. #13
Ellenton, FL 34222

Category III: Small Business $1.1 Million to $6.5 Million

Anthony’s Cooling Heating Electrical
Michael Zeppi
1614 20th St. East
Palmetto, FL 34221

The 2016 finalists are:

• Ace's Live, Renee Bennett and Greg Jones
• Alpha Business Solutions, LLC, James Vinson
• Anthony's Cooling Heating Electrical, Michael Zeppi
• Clean As A Whistle of Manatee, LLC, Deborah Cassidy
• Darwin Brewing Company, William Cornelius and Matt Cornelius
• Feathers and Tails Hideaway, Kate O'Neal
• Guy's Hauling and Dumpster Service, Inc., Guy & Robin Falletta
• Historic Manasota Memorial Park & Funeral Home, B. Duane LaFollett and Ben Samel
• HOPE Family Services, Inc., Laurel Lynch
• Humane Society of Manatee County, Inc., Richard Yocum
• Johnson Printing, John Johnson
• Keep Manatee Beautiful, Inc., Ingrid McClellan and Keith Banasiak
• L.A. Events, Inc., Lisa Arrigo Hoban
• Manatee County Habitat for Humanity, Diana Shoemaker and Dick Amesbury
• Manatee Education Foundation, Mary Glass
• Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, Maribeth Phillips
• PACE Center for Girls of Manatee County, Amy Wick Mavis
• Painting with a Twist, Hope Kinney and Sheri Penxa
• PCI Communications, Inc., Lenny & Valerie Longo
• Realize Bradenton, Johnette Isham
• Population Health Consultants, Natalie Johnson
• Sherrill Wealth Management, Gardner Sherrill
• South Florida Museum & Bishop Planetarium, Inc., Brynne Anne Besio
• Spa NorthWest, LLC, Kathleen Gallen & Paul Ramshaw
• SWAT Networking-Successful Women Aligning Together, Dr. Robyn Spirtas
• Tempus Pro Services, LLC, Ben Price
• The Anna Maria Islander, Bonner Joy
• Tim Lester International Realty, Inc, Tim Lester
• To Inform Families First (TIFF), Christine Olson
• U.S. Tent Rental Inc. & Linens by the Sea, Brian Boyle, Tim Boyle and Cliff Boyle
• Williams Wealth Management Group, Inc., Derek Williams
• Zoller Autrey Architects P.A.. Jerry Zoller and Darin Autrey

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