From The Tribune staff reports
IRONDALE — The Greater Irondale Chamber of Commerce (GICC) has announced the winners of its Small Business Awards.
Winners were selected in four categories: Emerging (in business less than five years), 1-10 employees, 11-50 employees, and 51-100 employees. The awards were announced at GICC’s September 8 luncheon. Gilbert Reyes State Farm sponsored the luncheon and awards.
The recipient of the emerging business award is Deja Ray Boutique.
The nominator said, “Thanks to Irondale and the surrounding areas, we have been very successful in the four years we have been open. We have put a lot into making sure we offer excellent customer service and some of the best items from which to choose. Last year, we were blessed to be able to expand our business from 900 sq. ft. to 2,000 sq. ft. In May, we also opened a luxury event center, which is located right next to our boutique. We have participated in prom dress drives and campaigns with Shades Valley High School. We have also brought family-friendly events to the area, such as our fashion show, Runway on the Tracks.”
Vivian Mora State Farm, the winner in the 1-10 employees category, does much in the community, including partnering with the Irondale Fire Department to make sure community trailer parks have smoke detectors installed in the trailers. They were able to offer local high school students volunteer hours for helping with the project. The partnership has grown into a new project of helping to equip residents in our underserved community with weather radios. They also partnered with the City of Irondale to present Yo Amo Irondale, celebrating the Hispanic heritage in the city. Recently, they secured a grant through State Farm for the Irondale Fire Department to plan for disaster preparedness and prevention.
The winner in the 11-50 employees category loves the Irondale community. As a business, they annually hold a toy drive for the Lovelady Center and contribute where they can to local events and organizations, including sponsorship of the Chamber and its events. Employees are encouraged by top management to attend community events, and it’s rare for the Chamber to have an event where there isn’t at least one of their employees there. Their business not only serves awesome clients, including businesses and homes in Irondale and all over Alabama, but it also respects, appreciates, and is dedicated to its employees. They believe in the concept of “shopping local,” and they continually work to support their Irondale neighbors by purchasing or ordering food, gas, and goods and services from businesses right here in Irondale. They are here for people: their employees, their customers, their community, and their neighbors in Irondale and beyond.
The “largest” small business winner, the 51-100 employees category, is Sain Associates.
The nominator said: “Our company is committed to supporting our community through charitable events and organization involvement. Our owners set the example for our employees by modeling involvement themselves. Our company supports, and our staff holds leadership roles in, many engineering organizations. The company supports Irondale and the Greater Birmingham area by its involvement in various community events, roundtables, and chambers, including involvement with the Irondale Planning Commission, active membership in the Trussville Rotary Daybreak Club, support of the Irondale Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, sponsorship of the ‘Building Community’ scholarships awarded to Irondale high school seniors, support of the Irondale Young Entrepreneurs’ Day by serving as a judge, leadership roles with the Chamber, and more. The company is celebrating its 50th year in business this year, which is both rare and impressive.”
These winners are now finalists for state awards through a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama and the Business Council of Alabama.
For more information about the Chamber, please email diane@irondalechamber.org, visit www.irondalechamber.org, ‘like’ them on Facebook @Irondale Chamber, or call (205) 478-2469.