Five area businesses have been selected as finalists for the W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award to be presented by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce May 7 during its annual award luncheon.
The award is determined by written applications scored by an independent panel of judges and has been presented by the Chamber since 1992. The application consists of written essays covering the topics of company history, business or management philosophy, response to challenges, innovative products or services offered and community-oriented contributions.
The finalists are:
- The App Pros, LLC is a software and mobile app development company with approximately 50 years of combined experience. The App Pros currently employs three and is led by CEO Jody Chaffin.
- Everything Kitchens, LLC is a web-based supplier of quality kitchenware and appliance. Everything Kitchens has 25 full-time employees and is led by founder and CEO Emily Church.
- Greek Corner Screen Printing and Embroidery started in 1983, catering to Southwest Missouri State University’s Greek chapters, but has evolved into a custom screen printing and embroidery shop. Greek Corner has eight employees and is led by President Jason Parke. The business also is a partner with the Convention & Visitors Bureau.
- Paragon Architecture, Inc. is a company young only in name. The staff at Paragon have provided architectural services in Missouri since 2003, but combined have over 30 years of experience as a collaborative team. Paragon has nine employees and is led by president and CEO Brad Erwin.
- People Centric Consulting Group provides organizational consulting and works with clients to improve communication and engagement. People Centric is projected to have eight employees by the end of 2014, and is led by co-founders Randy Mayes and Don Harkey.
Regions Bank is the presenting sponsor for the award luncheon. More information about the award and past recipients can be found here.
