Smyrna Small Business Named Best in Cobb County

What does it take be the best small business in Cobb County? An entrepreneurial spirit, says Amber Burckhalter, owner of K-9 Coach, the 2011 Cobb Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year.

Burkhalter, a self-proclaimed “true entrepreneur,” received the award at Monday’s Cobb Chamber of Commerce First Monday Breakfast meeting. She and 24 other small business owners were recognized in front of an estimated crowd of 400. K-9 Coach is located at 4870 South Atlanta Road in Smyrna.

“We were in the room with a lot of really impressive businesses and a lot of really smart, talented people,” she said. “And to be honored as the small business of the year by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce was an enormous, well I don’t know how else to say it, I was enormously honored.”

Businesses were nominated earlier this year, and candidates were evaluated based on the criteria published by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Those criteria included among other things, staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales or unit volume, innovative products and services, and overall management philosophy.

Burckhalter, a Certified Master Trainer and Certified Pet Dog Trainer, started her business as a one-woman dog training service in the parking lot of an animal hospital in 2001. A decade later, she’s running an award-winning small business.

“I think that taking one person and turning it into the 24 people who are working in this company now is an amazing feat,” she said. “It’s not something I could have done without other people’s help, but I think that is what sets us apart. I think we are a great story. The success has been amazing and there is real passion for what we do. There is real passion in this building for what we do.”

While Burckhalter is pleased with what she’s accomplished in only ten years, she’s the most proud of K-9 Coach’s efforts in the community. Employees are encouraged to become active participants in the community. Last year alone, K-9 Coach provided almost 2,500 hours and more than $5,000 in donations and services to a wide spectrum of animal-specific non-profit organizations across the area.

“We strive every single day to really and truly do the absolute very best,” she said. “Even more importantly than that, I believe in giving back to the community. I believe it is an obligation. I don’t think it is something that I have a choice in doing. We give back in so many different ways. I think that’s one of the ways that sets us apart.”

Burckhalter has served as head of the Humane Society of the United States training program where she and other volunteers worked to train dogs in low-income neighborhoods. Currently she’s training a dog from a local animal shelter free of charge. After it receives training, the dog will represent the shelter at its annual fundraiser.

But Burckhalter won’t stop at merely best in her community. She’s now in the running for best small business in Georgia. She and her team will make another presentation at the state-level in October. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in November.