SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AWARDED AT BANQUET
Front Row:
Hazel Armstrong, Tastee Creations Bakery - Minority Small Business
Shanta Avent - Edgecombe County Work First
Carolyn Bynum - Nash County Work First
Neva Blackwell, Building Services by Design - Rookie of the Year
Back Row:
Robbie Davis, Turn-Key Contractors - Entrepreneurial Success of the Year
Della Edwards, Clark-Langley Inc. - Woman in Business
E.G. Smithson, Smithson, Inc. - Small Business of the Year
The Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to outstanding local entrepreneurs on June 11, 2002 at Benevenue Country Club. This program took place during the 39th National Small Business Week, a week dedicated to recognizing the contributions that small business brings to the nation's economy and to acknowledge the entrepreneurial spirit of business people everywhere. Chamber Vice Chairman of Business Development Frank Harrison added, "The theme for this year, 'Small Business: Where America Works,' appropriately captures America's confidence in the continued success of small businesses. This week of celebration spotlights the many accomplishments of local businesses and their positive effects on our economy and our community. In the Rocky Mount metropolitan statistical area, there are 5,357 businesses with fewer than 50 employees. Small business creates over two-thirds of all new jobs, generating more than 57 percent of all sales and half of the domestic private sector output. The contributions of small business are significant; they drive the economic engine of our nation.
The keynote speaker for the night was Mr. Parker Overton. Overton is founder of Overton Sports in Greenville, North Carolina, the world's largest distributor of water sports products and boating accessories. Overton, a self-made entrepreneur, is a past Small Business of the Year award recipient at the State level. With sales in excess of $100 million, Overton's is a worldwide mailer of catalogs specializing in water sports; summer apparel; marine, personal watercraft and sport-utility accessories. The company has a call center in Greenville, Raleigh, and Charlotte. The company also owns Herter's catalog, a waterfowl and outdoor specialist book, and Dunn's catalog, which carries dog-hunting supplies. Mr. Overton gave much advice during his speech to the audience, "Do your homework," he advised, "Do your due diligence. Diversify. Take care of your customers." He also revealed the two rules his company lives by, "Our Number 1 rule is that the customer is always right. Number 2 is in the event the customer is wrong, refer back to rule Number 1."
The awards were as follows:
-Edgecombe County Work First Person on the Year: Shanta Avent, a teacher's assistant at Nash Edgecombe Economic Development Corp.'s Head Start Center.
-Nash County Work First Person of the Year - Carolyn Bynum, an employee at Bob Melton's Barbecue.
-Minority Small Business Person of the Year: Hazel Armstrong, owner and manager of Tastee Creations Bakery-Deli, a wholesale-retail facility on West Mount Drive.
-Small Business Woman of the Year: Della Edwards, president of Clark-Langley, a company that does site excavations, land preparations, parking lots, streets, and demolition. The Rocky Mount-based company has offices on English Road.
-Rookie of the Year: Neva Blackwell, president and chief executive officer of Building Services By Design Inc. on Sycamore Street. The company provides full-time janitorial services to institutional, commercial and residential customers and employs more than 25 people.
-Entrepreneurial Success of the Year: Robbie Davis, owner and president of Turn-Key Contractors Inc., a full-service general contractor. The company, with offices on North Wesleyan Boulevard, has about 665 projects under construction in the Rocky Mount area. Turn-Key employs about 40 people and has a subcontractor network of about 120 people with annual sales of more than $20 million.
