May 13 2022,
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Event Questions?
Contact Hannah McGuire
SOLD OUT!
Please do not attend if you feel unwell. Masks are encouraged. Thank you for doing your part!
Join us Friday, May 13th from 12:00pm – 1:30pm at Thorny Lea Golf Club (159 Torrey St, Brockton) for the 31st Annual Small Business & Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
The Small Business and Entrepreneur Awards are presented to businesses that have displayed employment staying power, growth, innovation, and social responsibility. Please join the Chamber and premier sponsor, Bank of America in recognizing the achievements and contributions of small businesses and entrepreneurs in creating new jobs and economic opportunities in the Metro South region!
Small Business of the Year Criteria: 50 or less full-time employees (or equivalent); in business more than 3 consecutive years under the current ownership; for-profit business.
Entrepreneur of the Year Criteria: 10 or less full-time employees (or equivalent); in business less than 3 years; for-profit business.
Companies will be rated on their creativity and imagination in development of their business, demonstration of growth, and a reflection on internal and external social responsibility. Recipients will be announced at the Small Business and Entrepreneur event in May.
Guest Speaker: Molly McPherson. Molly McPherson, M.S., APR is a nationally recognized expert on crisis public relations management in the age of social media and author of the book, Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis. Molly combines her knowledge of current communication practices with years of media and crisis management experience to help organizations manage issues — from emerging to a crisis — to ensure organizations surface with their reputation intact.
Host of the podcast “Indestructible PR” Molly uses current events and tested PR strategies, this podcast teaches communicators how to manage crises and build an indestructible reputation.
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR: Grand Flourish Collective
826 Crescent Street, Brockton, MA 02302 | (508) 971-1603 | gfco.biz
Grand Flourish Collective at 826 Crescent Street in Brockton has brought art and high quality customer service to their tattoo shop; offering an open-concept layout, TV, snacks, drinks, numbing creams, and saniderm healing patches for their customers (which cuts the healing time in half!) GFC artists Andy Vicente and Salena Mcalarney collaborated to design and complete the mural featured on the recently built Mayor Bill Carpenter Parking Garage near Enso Flats. They also did the Legion Parkway Power of Art mural. They have 4 full-time employees, 1 part-time receptionist, and have trained 2 apprentices. Their employees’ backgrounds reflect Brockton’s diverse population: Cape Verdean, Haitian, Irish, and Jewish. Derek Jesus and Andy Vicente met at Artists for Humanity and have a strong desire to give back to the community with art shows & events supporting Brockton’s creatives. Visit gfco.biz to learn more.
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: New England Tortilla / Mi Niña
1020 W Chestnut Street, Brockton, MA 02301 | (617) 889-6464 | mininatortilla.com
Mi Niña opened their doors in 2011 and is the first tortilla bakery in New England that produces tortillas authentically from a true old-world recipe. The Needham-based brand was founded by Boston chef Jamie Mammano, the man behind upscale restaurants including Mistral, a French/Mediterranean bistro in Boston’s South End. Describing the painstaking journey to launch Mi Niña, Mammano told Boston magazine in 2014 that making authentic Mexican tortillas on a mass scale has been the biggest challenge of his culinary career. Mammano said he was inspired to do so by the delicious tortillas he craved and brought back to Boston from his wife’s hometown of Tijuana, Mexico. Mi Niña recently invested 12 million dollars in their new Brockton facility and has created 20 new jobs. Their new building has been renovated into a state-of-the-art Tortilleria boasting 43,000 square feet. Visit mininatortilla.com to learn more.
Questions? Contact Cathryn Schofield or call (508) 586-0500 x 231 for assistance.
Thank you to our generous program sponsor, Bank of America:
“Bank of America is committed to making communities stronger and financial lives better through responsible growth and empowering those we serve. For us, it comes down to one simple question: What would you like the power to do?” Learn more about Bank of America.