This year we celebrated Small Business Month with the 33rd Annual Small Business & Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. The Metro South Chamber and premier sponsor since this event’s inception, Bank of America, recognize the achievements and contributions of small businesses and entrepreneurs in creating new jobs and economic opportunities in the Metro South region. Bank of America SVP National Business Strategy & Intelligence Manager, Marc Eddy was interviewed by Sue Joss, Brockton Neighborhood Health Center. Our guest speaker, Josh Peach, Be Au Sm (be awesome!) reminded folks of the power of kindness and unifying to work together for our collective future. Congratulations to the Entrepreneur of the Year, BinStar and Small Business of the Year, Medella Dental – continue on below for more info about these impressive and well-deserving businesses.
Small business and entrepreneur nominees are evaluated on the following:
- demonstrated creativity and innovation in the development of the business or in its products or service
- demonstrated growth, number of employees, staying power
- internal and external reflections of social responsibility
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR:
BINSTAR
20 Stockwell Drive, Avon, MA 02322 (original location)
1962 Beacon Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (now open!)
880 Broadway, Saugus, MA 01906 (opened May 11)
(508) 562-1304 | shopbinstar.com
Our story begins with founder Jack Laughlin working on the so-called “returns problem” at a large e-commerce company. After searching far and wide, Jack discovered that the vast majority of high-quality returned merchandise was being thrown in the trash. Incensed at this enormous sustainability problem with no buyer and no measurable solution, Jack decided to do something about it. That’s when BinStar was born.
BinStar is New England’s destination for a fun & sustainable shopping experience. BinStar opened its flagship store and distribution center in Avon, MA in June of 2023 where owner Jack Laughlin invested $500,000 in a 17,000 sq ft. retail location that employs 23 and has brought 22 additional jobs to the region. BinStar’s first-of-its-kind retail experience provides high-quality retail returns to its customers at high-value prices. BinStar sources returns from retailers and brands large and small, which frequently end up in landfills, and delivers a unique, treasure-hunt experience for its customers. Discover all sorts of items, from electronics to household appliances to clothing and more. Their work helps prevent some of the nearly 10 billion pounds of high-quality returned merchandise from being tossed into landfills every year. So far, BinStar has saved over 100 tons of retail products from landfills. Visit shopbinstar.com to learn more.
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:
MEDELLA DENTAL
1034 N. Main Street, Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 588-6964 | medelladental.com
Founded in 2021, Medella Dental practices preventative care across a whole range of general and cosmetic treatments. With 15 years combined dental experience, Owners and General Dentists, Dr. Sabrina Coombs and Dr. Stephanie Sadler strive to make every patient, young and old, proud of their smile and have a great time doing it. In the ever-changing field of dentistry, Medella Dental chooses to invest in annual continuing education courses and the latest technological advances, which allow them to develop systems within their practice to streamline patient care. Their office is completely digital, and is equipped with the latest imaging, intraoral scanners, and photos for patient education that can be displayed on mounted televisions in all patient operatories. Since opening their office three years ago they have expanded from 1 employee to 5, allowing them to increase their patient base significantly and expand to an additional operatory room. Medella Dental offers an on-the-job training program for dental assistants and students, and further involves themselves in the community by adopting middle and high school children to help cover their school expenses by supporting clothing and food drives, as well as holiday gifts. They have partnered with back-to-school events in Brockton, participated in Juneteenth tabling outreach, and the Brockton holiday market. Both doctors participate in local dentistry study clubs while also personally mentoring employees, where they continue to support increased access to dental care and encourage women to pursue leadership roles. Visit medelladental.com to learn more.
Follow us on flickr to see the full photo album! PC: Rich Morgan Photography
Missed the event? Don’t worry, we recorded it for you. Thanks BCA!
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