Four Tarrant County enterprises were named the 2017 Small Business of the Year Award by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The annual awards were announced at Mayor Betsy Price’s State of the City address at noon at the Fort Worth Convention Center.
The winners are:
Emerging Business – Alpha Industries LLC –industrial construction, fabrication and global logistics;
1-10 Employees – Z’s Cafe – family-owned catering service with a non-profit partnership;
11-50 Employees – The Fulcrum Group, Inc. – IT services firm providing outsourcing to small and midsize businesses;
51-150 Employees – Southwest Office Systems, Inc. –second-generation family-owned / operated independent dealer of document technology.
“Small businesses may not make big headlines, but they are the foundation of a thriving economy,” said Sherry Green, chairman of the Chamber’s Small Business Council committee and president of Technology Team, a previous award winner. “These passionate and determined business owners reflect the pioneering spirit of our city and the diversity of Fort Worth’s business base.”
Recipients were categorized by either emerging business or number of employees, and judged on business growth and performance, sound business strategies and practices, customer service strategies, business challenges, unique and innovative approaches, and community involvement.
The winners were chosen from a record-breaking field of 147 nominees and a total of 12 finalists in four categories. Each finalist was judged on their written application and a site visit by business owners and professionals who are members of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, most of them past SBOY award winners. Top graduate students from TCU’s Neeley School of Business were also among the judges.
The 2017 Small Business of the Year awards program is presented by Northstar Bank. Additional sponsors include BB&T, Clifton Larson Allen (CLA), Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, TCU’s Neeley School of Business, Tarleton State University-Fort Worth, Wells Fargo, Cendera Center and the Fort Worth Business Press.