|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Chamber members,
Thank you to all that nominated a favorite local business for the 16th Annual Economic Development and Small Business Awards. Not only will we recognize new companies that are expanding in Henderson, but we will also celebrate small businesses that are doing great things in this city we call home. Three businesses in each category have been identified as top contenders in the following categories: All in the Family, Business on the RISE, Customer Service, Green, Innovation, Outstanding Community Service and Outstanding Nonprofit.
We appreciate the many nominations that we received; now we ask that you take a moment to learn more about our finalists (see finalists information below) and vote for your favorite company today by clicking on the below link.
PLEASE SEE FINALIST INFORMATION BELOW
AND THEN...
Voting closes on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ
Please share this e-blast with anyone that could be a potential voter.
Please either share this email or direct potential voters to the HCC website.
DO NOT FORWARD THE BALLOT LINK to potential voters as it WILL NOT work.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
All in the Family Award
Businesses nominated in this category were identified as an outstanding family owned and operated business.
Some people say that Las Vegas is a city of the temporary. A visitors' Mecca, made up of outrageous sights and short lived delights. Is anyone really from here? Well Scott Godino Jr., Owner of Born And Raised is. Brought up around the foundations of Vegas: the casino business, Scott created Born And Raised - your home away from a Vegas home - to honor his roots and the philosophies established by his grandfathers Andrew Zorne and Lou Godino. Born and Raised, in name, is all about family and community and there is truly not a member of the Godino family who is not involved in some way. Having lived in Green Valley for a number of years, the Godino's have always wanted to give back to the community that has given them so much. So while Born and Raised may be new to Henderson, its intent is to make the residents part of its family.
Design Builders, a licensed, bonded and insured general contracting company with more than 25 years in the industry, epitomizes a family-owned business! Although Randy, Sally, and Justin Donald are the key owners and drivers of the business, it is the true reliance of their extended family, their team and clients that constitute Design Builders' ultimate 'family'. Calling Henderson home, on a business and personal level holds true for all those at Design Builders. As HCC members, the Design Builders' team enjoys interacting with fellow members at chamber events, engaging in local sporting events, supporting Henderson based charities like Biddin' for Bottles and Library Tree Lane. Design Builders considers the Henderson community its extended family, and as a result they know they have a responsibility to take care of that family... and they do.
Thurlow Wealth Management (TWM) is an independent wealth management firm offering investments, advice and wealth management to high net-worth individuals, families, estates and corporations. Though the company is currently a first generation family-owned business, owner Tony Thurlow comes from a third generation family business based out of Grand Junction, CO. As a family operated business, Thurlow Wealth Management works with many multi-generational families, and has created a legacy of exceptional customer service both client centered and family focused. This model of service is accepted and appreciated by their clients, who look forward to the extra care and personal touches.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Business on the RISE Award
Businesses nominated in this category were identified as outstanding businesses that have been operating for three years or less.
Although Dg Realty is a new real estate brokerage, Joe DiRaffaele and Shannan Fogle have been Realtors for 21 and 15 years respectively. The pair has time-tested experience in selling Henderson properties and they are committed to expanding their business relationships throughout the Henderson community. Having developed a reputation among clients, Joe and Shannan are also known as the "professionals professional. Dg Realty recently was featured in "Mike Ferry's Selling Success Magazine". It is a magazine put out by the top Real Estate industry speaker/trainer in the world. It's not just being in the magazine that was rewarding, it is how we earned it. We were able to help the editor of the magazine get her family's home sold in 3 weeks at the price we said after another Realtor couldn't get it sold in the previous 6 months and told them it couldn't be sold. She and her husband were blown away by their experience with our Service First approach and demanded we write an article to teach other agents how we go above and beyond. Our business is definitely on the rise!
Lucky Foo's Restaurant & Bar prides itself on delivering new ideas to the Las Vegas community by offering an innovative social dining experience that is approachable and aspirational. They offer the freshest quality ingredients in every dish and cocktail day-in-and-day-out, in an atmosphere that is intimate, engaging, and dynamic. Lucky Foo's new concept, offers the Las Vegas Market a comfortable nightlife experience that involves big city style dining and cocktails without compromise all nestled into a professionally designed supper club style space. From dj sets, movie nights, themed dinner parties, and networking luncheons, Lucky Foo's Restaurant & Bar will do its best to stay fresh, original and available to its customers. We are new to Henderson, but popular without a doubt!
Having launched in the summer of 2014 with one client and a home office, ToeShark Visual Communication has expanded to its new office building on Eastern Avenue, which includes three employees and thirteen clients. The company specializes in visual communication design with a strong emphasis in brand development and marketing. ToeShark Visual Communication prides itself on providing world-class service to its clients, as well as being a strong community partner through donating a portion of its services to support a number of local nonprofits. At ToeShark Visual Communication, a strong small business community matters because ultimately everyone will benefit when small businesses are thriving.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Customer Service Award
Businesses nominated in this category were identified as having excellent customer service.
Bishop Air Services treats every customer as a priority from the moment the dispatcher accepts the service request, to the moment the job is completed by a technician. The company's employees strive daily to service the needs of its customers, keeping the motto "honest reliable service since 1992 "in mind at all times. As a direct result of providing exceptional customer service, Bishop Air's customer base continues to grow through word-of-mouth referrals received from satisfied customers. And as the company continues to provide a high level of service to its customers, the products they provide and the number of employees they employ will continue to broaden, grow and expand.
Success City Online's customers know that in a moment's notice, Success City Online will drop everything to help them with whatever they need. By providing customer service that is unmatched in the industry, the company's goal is to keep its customer's happy forever! One way they keep customers happy is by providing same-day service for website and social media updates. From the moment they wake up to the moment they fall asleep, Success City Online's customers are being taken care of - after all, their client's online success is their success!
Voice Plus Communications treats its clients in the same way they would like to be treated - with the highest level of customer service possible. The company continues to grow through word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers and valued partners. When issues arise, Voice Plus Communications takes ownership of these issues and immediately opens a help ticket to get things resolved. Instead of dealing with a call center that is located in another state or overseas, Voice Plus Communications' customers deal with a local team that keeps them updated on the process until the issue is resolved. Voice Plus Communication firmly believes that this extra level of customer service differentiates them from their competitors, while keeping customers satisfied and well informed.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Green Award
(Presented by Republic Services). Businesses nominated in this category were identified as a company or organization focused on sustainability while promoting a culture of creative methods and measures to be ecofriendly through green initiatives, recycling or repurposing programs.
Blue Heron Design Build has won numerous national home design awards and has achieved the "Emerald" status under LEED, the highest level possible in green building efforts. It is the Las Vegas leader in implementing energy efficient technology, distinct design and architecture, and ultimate green building methods in all its homes. Blue Heron Design Build creates advanced energy efficient homes that are custom designed from the ground up. The company strives to be the leader in environmentally friendly home building philosophies, techniques and design.
Harsch Investment Properties is an ecofriendly real estate investment company that keeps tenant costs low with numerous sustainable practices, such as providing commercial recycling, aggressive preventative maintenance to conserve resources, investing in technologies to control lighting, water costs and implementing roofing designs to save energy. They follow numerous green standards throughout their operations as part of their company culture and employees are encouraged to join organizations and attend classes on energy efficiency. Harsch received an award from Republic Services for being among the first companies in the Vegas Valley to implement a recycling program throughout their properties.
Modo Yoga Las Vegas is the only hot yoga studio in the valley that focuses on green initiatives. Leading by example, and actively showing other studios and local businesses that you can be successful without leaving a huge carbon footprint, Modo Yoga Las Vegas is founded on the principles of environmental activism and green living. All of the furniture and retail shelving inside the studio is made of reclaimed materials like old pipes, pallet wood, tree stumps and branches, and to offset the carbon they do use, Modo Yoga Las Vegas purchases wind-energy credits. We encourage our studio community to walk and bike to yoga, we do not sell water in plastic bottles, we do not print out waiver forms or schedules, instead we use online technology instead of wasting paper. Even our retail clothing line we carry is made primarily of re-cycled plastic bottles. By living green we inspire each other to create and live in a happier, cleaner, and more creative world.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Innovation Award
Businesses nominated in this category were identified as companies that are doing something new, different, smarter or better that has had a positive impact on their business.
 Culinarians say there's rarely anything new in the world of food and drink, recognizing that most cooks, chefs and mixologists just re-arrange the same ingredients and serve them in slightly altered ways. There's a lot of truth to that, BUT The Juice Standard (TJS), is in fact different-innovative-not only for its carefully crafted flavors, but also for the distinct set of business practices developed at its inception. These tenets are the company's standards and include: serving 100% organic produce, practicing 0% high pressure processing, being environmentally sound (they reduce, re-use, recycle, refund, and in turn, respect the world through their bottling and composting efforts.) They are customer centric and purpose driven (firm believers in protecting bees, honoring farmers, supporting local business, revering staff members, embracing transparency, creating awareness, nurturing health, serving quality and spreading love.)
Matzinger Institute of Healing is the only medical center/clinic in the U.S. that provides comprehensive, membrane medicine treatments, including IV lipid infusions, and bio-medical lipid colon cleanses with infrared sauna sessions. These treatments are designed to balance fatty acids within the cell membranes, leading to healing the patient at the cellular level. This optimizes your overall immune system, providing a natural defense against illness and disease, as well as prevention. Matzinger Institute of Healing has partnered with other likeminded business professionals to provide a healing center for individuals seeking a holistic approach to their overall health and wellness.
Quertle is an information technology company that was created by biomedical scientists, chemists, and literature informatics experts, who have many decades of experience with research and finding relevant information to support that research. They have totally re-invented biomedical searching by implementing a "re-think" business philosophy for dealing with any issues that need improvement. Quertle is the company that finally took the leap to step back, re-think, and re-design a modern solution to the decades-old problem of how to find relevant information in the massive haystacks of text. Using innovative and powerful linguistic technology, the user can immediately zero-in on exactly what matters and easily explore and communicate the results, without the frustration of plowing through long lists of irrelevant documents.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Outstanding Community Service Award
Businesses nominated in this category were identified as companies that give back to the community as part of their company culture.
As a painting contractor, Cal Pac Painting of Nevada, Inc. has had the privilege and opportunity to assist with the restoration and/or beautification of a variety of charitable organizations including: Opportunity Village, New Vista, Horses4Heroes, Lili Claire Foundation, Home Aid Southern Nevada, Kiwanis International, Rebuilding Together, and National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). In addition to providing assistance with painting projects, the company has also created and executed workshops for the Girl Scouts, facilitated clothing drives for Dress for Success of Southern Nevada, helped the Eagle Scouts with their Badge Projects, participated in back-pack stuffing for Project 150, and coordinated fund-raising shredding events for charity, where 100 percent of the proceeds are donated directly to the specific charity.
Giving back to the community is a key part of Crazy Pita's culture and a concrete part of the restaurant's mission. As a community partner, Crazy Pita donates food, gift cards and services to local nonprofit organizations regularly. The company has sponsored (and continues to sponsor) many charitable events including: Nathan Adelson Hospice "Wine & Food Tasting Extravaganza" benefiting the pediatric program; The Shade Tree shelter "Back-to-School" donation drive; New Vista's "Adam and Eve Annual Auction"; USO Las Vegas' "Make a Million Moments in May" drive; Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA); Nevada Donor Network and WestCare of Las Vegas' "Christmas in July" donation drive. The owner has a personal connection to the Josh Stevens Foundation and helps fund the organization's goal which promotes random acts of kindness. In fact, they have a Be Kind store in each Crazy Pita location. All proceeds from the sale of Be Kind items go directly to the Josh Stevens Foundation.
Whether it's donating to several nonprofit organizations, or sponsoring a local veteran race team (Semper Fi Racing), LIUID's mission is to be bold, to inspire and to give back to the community. As part of this mission, the company recently partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation; and were able to fulfill 8-year old Jia Yi's wish by surprising her with a grand piano and private piano lessons for two years. For LIUID the satisfaction comes in knowing that they are impacting others and assisting them in reaching their dreams/goals - it's about what they can do to impact the lives of others. Committed to inspiring others to reach their dreams, LIUID is making a difference with every single purchase.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Outstanding Nonprofit Award
Businesses nominated in this category were identified as nonprofit organizations that have made significant positive impacts on the Southern Nevada community.
Shelter is a basic need, and one that is critical for any family. Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, Inc. provides low-to-moderate income families with affordable, permanent housing. Since 1991, the organization has provided 105 families with homes, helping to eradicate blight and homelessness. The organization spends approximately $1.3 million in construction annually, which in-turn boosts the local economy. Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas' construction program also serves to support job training with at-risk youth, who do not have GEDs or high school diplomas. The students earn their GED and pass certification exams, while experiencing classroom education on construction. Although affordable housing is a tremendous challenge in our community, Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas' impact stretches from one family to the entire city.
Known as Henderson's turnkey charity for the last 24 years, Hopelink of Southern Nevada's mission is to build a better community by preventing homelessness, keeping families intact, and promoting self-sufficiency. Founded in 1991 by Barbara Gomez and Pamela Erickson in an effort to provide a support network for those needing assistance in Henderson, Hopelink of Southern Nevada is there in times of crisis and when paydays are not. Through a variety of programs, HopeLink of Southern Nevada has recycled millions of dollars in donations back into the valley's economy, while keeping people off the street and turning them into self-sufficient workers and consumers once again.
Founded In 2001 by Laurie Hartig, a former CCSD librarian with a simple purpose in mind to advance early childhood literacy, Spread the Word Nevada brings educational opportunities to low income children, through books, family literacy and mentoring. Spread the Word Nevada's impact is large and has proven longevity; the organization distributes 38,000+ books monthly to 29,000 children through school based programs. By allowing children to own books, Spread the Word Nevada is helping to create generations of strong readers, which helps break the cycle of poverty. Books are magical and often life-changing and their reach is limitless. By providing a child living at or near the poverty level with "keep at home books" Spread the Word Nevada not only broadens their future, but it also influences and affects the entire family by developing new traditions of reading together.
_______________________________________________________________________
|
Voting closes on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 5 p.m.
On behalf of the HCC and the City of Henderson, I would like to say thank you once again for your participation and contribution to this endeavor, and thank you to our many generous sponsors for their support in making this event possible.
Enthusiastically,
Scott Muelrath, President/CEO
|
|
|
