The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists for its Small Business of the Year awards. Recipients of the 2014 awards will be announced at a private reception prior to the Mayor’s State of the City Luncheon on Feb. 13. The finalists in the emerging business category are Kwik Kar Ridmar, Shoot Smart and Synergy HomeCare DFW. In the 1-10 employee category, the finalists are Four Day Weekend Inc., J.O. and Path to Wellness Chiropractic and in the 11-50 employee category the finalists are Care N’ Care Insurance Co. Inc., DOCUmation of North Texas Inc. and The Starr Conspiracy. Rounding out the list of small businesses are the finalists in the 50-150 employee category. Those companies include CE-DFW Warehouse Solutions, InterConnect Wiring and Perrone Pharmacy Inc./PerroneRX LLC.
Emerging Business: • Kwik Kar Ridgmar opened in March 2012 and is an auto maintenance and repair facility in Fort Worth. The company won third place nationally in the “Best Looking Lube Shop” competition by a leady industry periodical. • Shoot Smart has two indoor ranges/training centers with a modern, upscale ambiance. The company’s mission is to deliver entertainment through education. Within three years, Shoot Smart expanded the original facility, acquired a second location and extended training to nearly 6,000 customers. • Synergy HomeCare DFW provides personalized non-medical homecare services for individuals and/or families who need assistance with everyday activities of daily living, including companionship, homemaking and personal care. Its focus is on helping family caregivers with the needs of their loved ones who wish to maintain their independence and remain at home.
One to 10 Employees: * Comedy theater Four Day Weekend started as a six-week run 16 years ago and has entertained with more than 5,000 performances. It has a nationally recognized four-level training center and corporate communications division with a client list reading like the Fortune 500. * J.O. is a nationally recognized, award-winning marketing and public relations agency located in Fort Worth’s Near Southside, and has been growing at a healthy pace for 15 years. Consistent growth has allowed the agency to buy a 6,500-square-foot building, open a gallery and start a nonprofit agency to help other nonprofits succeed themselves, all within the last two years. * A full-service chiropractic clinic located in Montgomery Plaza, Path to Wellness Chiropractic is dedicated to assisting the Fort Worth community to better health. Dr. Lauren Letz opened her office in May 2008 and saw 20 patients that first week. The clinic has since enlarged and now has three full-time physicians.
Eleven to 50 Employees: • Care N’ Care is a Medicare Advantage PPO plan that provides North Texas seniors an affordable alternative to Medicare Supplement insurance and other types of Medicare health plans. To assist its more than 7,000 members in living healthier and happier lives, it provides PPO Plan Premiums, low co-payments, automatic enrollment into SilverSneakers Fitness Program, transportation services, and a personal health care concierge assigned to each member to assist with plan questions and claims. • Founded in 2007, DOCUmation of North Texas is a business technology integration company that develops comprehensive solutions to increase productivity and efficiencies while reducing operating costs associated with managing and printing documents. Primary manufacturing partners include Ricoh, Konica Minolta and Kyocera. Today, the company is the largest independent dealer of office technology in Texas and one of Ricoh’s largest dealers nationally. • The Starr Conspiracy is a strategic marketing and advertising agency devoted exclusively to enterprise software and service companies. With B2B marketing and advertising as its focus, The Starr Conspiracy is the largest agency in Fort Worth and has been selected as a best place to work eight times since 2008.
Fifty to 150 Employees: • CE-DFW Warehouse Solutions began operating out of the founder’s game room in 1998 on the principle of providing quality warehouse equipment service and repair at reasonable prices. Since that time the Grapevine-based business has grown to more than 82 employees and gained a loyal customer base that reaches throughout North Texas. • InterConnect Wiring manufactures aerospace products, including electrical wiring harnesses, power distribution panels and modification kits. The company also rewires military aircraft. For 20 years InterConnect has supplied electrical products to aerospace giants of the industry including Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky, Raytheon, BAE and L3. • The late Paul Perrone founded his pharmacy 60 years ago based on a commitment he made as a glider pilot whose life was spared on D-Day. His promise to spend the rest of his life helping others lives on today in the family-owned pharmacy that offers both retail and long-term care services.
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