SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS PRESENTED
Rocky Mount - Approximately 150 guests attended the annual Small Business Awards Banquet on May 9 at Benvenue Country Club. Presenting sponsor of the event was Southern Bank; corporate sponsors included Centura; Prudential; Wayne Ferrell Realty; Sprint; and Turn-Key Contractors. Annual sustaining sponsors were Nash and Edgecombe Community Colleges Small Business Centers; the Rocky Mount Area Chamber; the Rocky Mount/Edgecombe CDC; and the SBTDC.
The following awards were presented: Small Business of the Year to Tim Oakley of Oakley Associates, Architects; Minority Small Business to Ben McKnight of Royal Quality Maintenance; Small Business Woman to Dr. Doris Thorne, DDS; Rookie of the Year to Gracie Johnson of Shuttle Direct; Phoenix Award for Small Business Disaster Recovery to Matt Barnes of Barnes Tin Shop; Phoenix Awards for Contributions to Disaster Recovery to SBTDC - Northeastern Region and to Rocky Mount/Edgecombe Community Development Corporation; and Work First (Nash County) to Lachan Taylor of Residence Inn and Work First (Edgecombe County) to Janice Bledsoe of Chick-Fil-A.
Architect Tim Oakley, owner of Oakley Associates, left the security of working for others in 1988 to strike out on his own. With a degree from Nash Community College, completion of the Intern Development Program sponsored by the National Council of Architectural Registration Board, and twelve years of mentoring by some of the area's most imminent names in architectural design, this Rocky Mount native set out to change the landscape of Eastern North Carolina. Immediately his residential and commercial designs were sought after; steady growth of his architectural business necessitated an additional staff architect to meet the growing educational and industrial design market. Taking his firm to the next level of productivity necessitated a 1999 office expansion and move to a striking office building of his own design. His signature structural designs can be found throughout eastern North Carolina, with one of the most visible being the Nash County Administration in Nashville.
As the owner and chief operating officer of his firm, Tim is a registered architect with the American Institute of Architects in North Carolina and Virginia. He exceeds the required professional Continuing Education requirement yearly and sets the example for his staff to study the latest developments and trends in modern construction techniques. He also leads through community involvement. In 2000 alone, he received the Central Atlantic Regional Habitat for Humanity Best Three-Bedroom House Design award and the Nash Community College Outstanding Alumni designation. Whether through contemporary or traditional design, he and his associates are changing the landscape of eastern North Carolina.
