The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care from Sugar Land as the 2018 winner of the $25,000 prize for its annual Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award, presented by MetLife. The annual award celebrates the achievements of small businesses and honors their contributions to America’s economic growth.
The Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award recognizes a small business that exemplifies the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship, and individual initiative. The winner exemplifies success and leadership across business growth performance, innovative business strategies, community engagement, as well as customer and employee relations.
Fort Worth’s Southwest Offics Systems Inc. was honored with the Minority-Owned Business Achievement Award:
NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care was one of twenty-one finalists selected by a panel of judges from a record number of applicants for the six Business Achievement Awards and the one Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award.
Fort Worth’s Renfro Foods was also competing for the award.
With the goal of providing a solution to emergency rooms overcrowded with children, NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care was created to brighten the prospect of pediatric urgent care by combining expert medical care with comfort and compassion. From its first location in Sugar Land to now eight locations across Texas, the owners are dedicated to bringing healing to each child and community they serve.
“The Dream Big awards celebrate those who are achieving success, creating opportunity, working hard, and inspiring others,” said Suzanne Clark, Senior Executive Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This year’s finalists were drawn from the largest group of award applications in the history of the program—they are the best of the best. Small business is the strong fiber that knits our nation together—not just economically, but culturally and socially. We are a nation of dreamers and doers, and this year’s Dream Big winner is a shining example of dreams achieved and jobs done well. “
The Business Achievement Award and Community Excellence Award winners are:
• Community Excellence Award: HousePaws (Mount Laurel, NJ)
• Emerging Business Achievement Award: The Digital Ring (Madison, WI)
• Green/Sustainable Business Achievement Award: Glen’s Garden Market (Washington, DC)
• Veteran-Owned Business Achievement Award: Strata-G, LLC (Knoxville, TN)
• Woman-Owned Business Achievement Award: EvolveMKD (New York, NY)
• Young Entrepreneur Achievement Award: Lil Ice Cream Dude LLC (Athens, GA)
Award winners were announced at the Dream Big Awards Gala as part of the 2018 Small Business Summit, which took place October 2-3, 2018, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.