Silicon Prairie Favorite Goodsmiths West Des Moines Chamber’s 2013 New Business of the Year

Goodsmiths, the e-commerce web site for crafters and artisans, picked up the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce and Development Connection’s 2013 New Business of the Year award at the chamber’s annual business awards luncheon.

Also honored were:

2013 Entrepreneur of the Year – KCL Engineering: Kris Kunze and the KCL team have been an active business in the West Des Moines Business Incubator. KCL has seen robust growth since its incorporation, increasing employees and entering new markets.

2013 Small Business of the Year – Kreamer Law Firm: Sam Kreamer opened the firm in 2005, providing legal services in business and estate planning ever since. Kremer said community service is a deeply embedded value among the firm’s lawyers and staff, who are active in numerous charitable activities.

2013 Large Business of the Year – J.E. Dunn Construction: The company was founded in 1924, has 20 offices across the country and opened its Iowa office to build the Allied Nationwide headquarters in downtown Des Moines. In West Des Moines, notable projects include the Wells Fargo and Mercy West Lakes campuses.

Goodsmiths Takes Off Strongly

James Eliason and Levi Rosol founded Goodsmiths in April 2012 to provide an e-commerce web site for handmade and vintage goods. Their site goes head-to-head with Etsy, not only giving artisans and craftspeople the tools they need to sell online, but also offering an online community that's there when you need them. The social networking engine allows users to interact with one another.

Currently, Goodsmiths has eight full-time and four part-time/contract employees. It represents more than 4,000 crafters and artisans.B

Less than a year after it was founded, MSNBC named it one of five Silicon Prairie start-ups to watch.