The Montgomery area’s most promising young small businesses were recognized at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Small Business of the Year Awards Banquet held Thursday, May 11, 2000 at the Montgomery Civic Center.

The grand winner of the 2000 COSBE Award, the Chamber’s highest recognition for a small business, was Doors by Decora, Inc., owned by Charles and Marcia Jones.

To be considered for a COSBE/Small Business of the Year award, a business may be nominated either by another Chamber member or it may nominate itself. It must be locally owned and for-profit. The company must have been in business for a minimum of three years under the same ownership and be a current member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. A nominating committee comprised of designated Chamber officers and members each year reviews the nominees and determines the winners.

The Chamber’s Emerging Thirty businesses were also honored at the banquet. The first five years are the most challenging to a small business. The Chamber presented awards to 30 of the area’s most promising young small businesses which have distinguished themselves during the difficult first five-years of operations. Some past Emerging Thirty recipients have gone on to be the most successful small businesses in the Montgomery area.

When the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce launched COSBE (Council for Small Business Enterprises) in 1991, it identified the development and nurturing of small business as a critical need. Thus, the annual COSBE and Small Business of the Year Awards, as well as the Emerging Thirty designation, were created to recognize the success of outstanding small businesses. Today, the Chamber’s small business program has grown to include the Small Business Incubator, the community’s one-stop resource for fledgling entrepreneurs.

Small business makes up approximately 80% of the local and national economy. Recently, Montgomery was ranked ninth in the country by Inc. magazine for the start up of small businesses.

Small Business of the Year Recipient

COSBE Award Winner:

Winner: Doors by Decora, Inc., Owner: Charles and Marcia Jones Manufacturer of Custom Wood Doors and Stained Glass.

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