GLI announces 2019 Inc.credible Awards finalists

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Greater Louisville Inc., the Metro Chamber of Commerce, has announced the 32 companies and three business leaders running for the 2019 Inc.credible Awards presented by Citizens Union Bank. The annual awards celebrate small businesses within the Greater Louisville region.

“The Inc.credible Awards are a chance for Greater Louisville to really celebrate all the small businesses that make our region unique and vibrant,” said Kent Oyler, president & CEO of GLI. “We are always excited to see the innovative business solutions that are being pioneered by these players in our community.”

GLI is pleased to recognize finalists in nine categories this year. All finalists are listed below in alphabetical order.

Small Business of the Year (1-50 employees)

The winning company exemplifies both business and civic leadership. Community involvement, management practices and overall financial performance are the primary criteria for this category.          

• C2 Strategic Communications is a growing public relations, marketing and communications firm in Louisville, serving public, private and nonprofit clients. The company is the only public relations firm in Louisville, KY that is fully staffed by former journalists.
• Cimtech, Inc. a top performing machine shop with the capabilities to meet the complex needs of major manufacturers; yet maintains the ability to support smaller companies that need expertise in the field of machine work.

• Crushed Ice Catering features both locally sourced and organic foods in their catering menus. The company offers full food and bar options, all service staff, food and beverage equipment, decor, all rentals associated with the food and beverage service, linens, napkins, and pretty much anything directly related to your guests’ culinary satisfaction.
• Mightily is a brand first advertising and marketing agency. Their services include brand creation, strategy, and consulting; website design and development; graphic design; marketing and advertising strategy, creation, and management; media buying; social media consulting, strategy, and management.
• Oliver Group believes people can transform and perform at their highest potential. The company works alongside their partners and across organizations to help them perform at new levels. They have built a diverse, experienced team of business leaders who have led high-performing teams and businesses across various industries that can add unique perspectives and solutions.
• Technology Plus helps their clients navigate today’s technology and are a valued partner in providing the proper technology to grow their clients’ companies and communicate with their consumers.

Small Business of the Year Award (51-100 employees) presented by Focal Point Business Coaching of KY

The winning company exemplifies both business and civic leadership. Community involvement, management practices, and overall financial performance are the primary criteria for this category.

• Advance Ready Mix is one of the largest commercial and residential suppliers in Metro Louisville and Southern Indiana. Advance is unique in that they search for ways to help customers save money and time through innovative mix designs using additives of different properties to change the outcome of the final hardened product.
• Caring Excellence is a locally owned and operated home care company. Caring Excellence relies on their professionally trained caregivers to provide individualized services to help and inspire seniors to live to their fullest potential.
• Office Resources, Inc. (ORI) creates work environments that energize and inspire, help attract and retain talent, support corporate culture, demonstrate their customers’ unique brands, and add to the functionality, effectiveness and value of their facilities.
• PMR Companies is a premier, multi-regional property and asset management organization. The company works to maximize clients’ returns, create a rewarding and enjoyable environment for their associates and provide the best possible customer service to residents, commercial tenants, and vendors.
• SentryHealth combines business analytics with clinical expertise to improve the health and well-being of employees and covered dependents while reducing medical, pharmacy and disability costs for their employers.Their health solutions feature a lower-cost care delivery model led by highly trained clinicians
• Strothman and Company is a regional public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Indiana and Kentucky. The company serves clients in a wide variety of industries and are uniquely positioned between the large international and small accounting firms. This allows them to be able to provide a wide range of quality services, while still being organized to work closely with each client on a person-to-person basis.

Small Business of the Year Award (101-200 employees)

The winning company exemplifies both business and civic leadership. Community involvement, management practices and overall financial performance are the primary criteria for this category.

• ARGI is a Louisville based personal and business financial advisory firm. Their services include tax, business management and accounting, insurance solutions, corporate education, and retirement plan services. For over two decades, ARGI has provided its clients with prudent advice, combined with dedicated support and execution.
• Belle Noble Entertainment Group, LLC was founded in 2015 to serve as the parent structure for its growing multi-restaurant-concept operation. .The company includes The Village Anchor, The Sea Hag, Kevin’s PICNIC, Grassa Gramma Italian Restaurant and Le Moo Fine Steak House. Belle Noble restaurants create memorable dining experiences that are achieved by captivating environments; fun, hospitable service; and quality, affordable food and beverages.
• Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is a commercial passenger airport that has nearly 80 passenger airline departures per day. They offer award-winning restaurants and retail stores, including the package sale of bourbon past the security checkpoint so our city’s guests can take a taste of Kentucky home with them.
• LSS Life Safety Services® is a national provider of passive fire protection services, as well as owning Hughes Environmental, a national provider of industrial cleaning services. Their technicians have extensive training-both formal and on-the-job.
• Qk4, Inc. is a civil engineering and planning firm. They offer a full range of services including surveying, planning, and engineering. The company’s qualified staff offer civil, transportation, municipal, environmental, utility and structural engineering expertise.    
• Rogers Group Inc. is the largest privately-owned construction aggregate, crushed stone, and sand and gravel company in the United States. For more than 110 years, their construction aggregates have been the foundation for homes, schools, hospitals, highways, and other infrastructure critical to the Louisville economy.

Healthcare & Wellness Award

This award recognizes a business that is contributing to the fields of health and wellness, whether by introducing innovative solutions to the healthcare field or by providing excellent service for individual health and wellness.

• Fieldtrip is a creative agency fixated on making work that works in the community. The value of these services is anchored by the company’s unique desire to immerse themselves into the world of their clients and to operate with constant curiosity.

• Peptides International, Inc. addresses the need for quality products and services in the field of peptide synthesis. The company is a trusted source of high purity, quality products ranging from innovative resins to complex custom peptide synthesis.

• Rogers Group Inc. is the largest privately-owned construction aggregate, crushed stone, and sand and gravel company in the United States. For more than 110 years, their construction aggregates have been the foundation for homes, schools, hospitals, highways, and other infrastructure critical to the Louisville economy.

• SentryHealth combines business analytics with clinical expertise to improve the health and well-being of employees and covered dependents while reducing medical, pharmacy and disability costs for their employers.Their health solutions feature a lower-cost care delivery model led by highly trained clinicians

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award

This award recognizes a small business that demonstrates a commitment to inclusive hiring, buying, selling and is a champion of diversity and inclusion.

• Advance Ready Mix is one of the largest commercial and residential suppliers in Metro Louisville and Southern Indiana. Advance is unique in that they search for ways to help customers save money and time through innovative mix designs using additives of different properties to change the outcome of the final hardened product.

• Benefit Marketing Solutions LLC (BMS LLC) is an independently owned, operated and nationally recognized as a woman-owned business. BMS is a fully compliant Third-Party Administrator dedicated to providing smart solutions for clients & fulfilling their administrative needs.
• Benson Group LLC is a solution for Human Resources Management, Workforce Training, and Organizational Development. The company focuses on people so much that they incorporate a holistic approach to human life to business practices and strategies.
• Wicked Sheets offers comfort sleep solutions for sleepers suffering from night sweats and hot flashes. Their moisture-wicking and cooling sleep products keep sleepers cool and dry all night long.

Non-Profit of the Year Award presented by Ladyfingers Catering

This award is presented to the small business that is seen as a leader in the Greater Louisville community. This business has made significant contributions to advancing arts and culture in Greater Louisville and sees community investment as a core part of the company’s values.

• LHome is the only Nonprofit Community Development Loan Fund in Louisville. The organization invests in under-served housing markets and small businesses to contribute to local economic development and to create thriving communities.

• Louisville Urban League assists African Americans and other marginalized populations to attain social and economic equality through direct services and advocacy. Their goal is to eliminate racial segregation and discrimination by advancing high-impact ventures in workforce development, expungement services, health navigation, youth and parent educational guidance, asset building and financial empowerment.
• Scarlet’s Bakery offers second chance employment to women who have been exploited or trafficked. As a result of their mission, they produce delicious sweet treats to serve our community.
• The Leadership Louisville Center educates and develops leaders, connects diverse networks, and inspires broader community impact. They have been recognized as one of the top 7 community leadership programs in the U.S. by The Center for Creative Leadership.
• Waterfront Botanical Gardens develops experiences that promote appreciation and understanding of plants and for a more harmonious, sustainable world. Their vision is to create a botanical garden and conservatory that inspires the Louisville community.
• Workwell Industries is a non-profit organization committed to creating jobs for people with disabilities and others who experience barriers to employment. They provide quality packaging, parts assembly and various other services to many large organizations in the US and worldwide.

Innovation Award presented by Middleton Reutlinger

This award recognizes a business that provides innovative product or services. Innovative solutions can include technologies, programming, processes, systems, etc.

• Belle Noble Entertainment Group, LLC was founded in 2015 to serve as the parent structure for its growing multi-restaurant-concept operation. .The company includes The Village Anchor, The Sea Hag, Kevin’s PICNIC, Grassa Gramma Italian Restaurant and Le Moo Fine Steak House. Belle Noble restaurants create memorable dining experiences that are achieved by captivating environments; fun, hospitable service; and quality, affordable food and beverages.

• Crescendo Strategies empowers clients to see the evolved employer/employee relationship from the employees’ perspectives. The company works to explain specific ways to bridge workplace divides in order to create a place where people want to work and provide a clear path by which they can create greater staffing stability.

• DPL Financial Partners works to make Commission-Free insurance a positive and productive asset in a registered investment advisor’s practice They provide market knowledge and product expertise to help top carriers create low-cost, Commission-Free insurance products Their company provides analysis of clients’ existing policies, as well as education and access to new, Commission-Free solutions that offer transparency, value and choice to their consumers.

• EdjAnalytics uses data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve decision making in the industries of sports, healthcare, financial services and education. Their products are unique because they are customized for each client. The company works within a wide range of industries that allows their data science team to look at problems from different viewpoints.

2019 Small Business Leader Award presented by Insuramax

This award is presented to a small business leader who is stimulating a supportive work environment and exhibits a real commitment to the welfare of their employees. Their efforts bear fruit in a well-motivated, integrated workforce and a successful small business in the Greater Louisville region. This business leader is dedicated and has proven their self as innovative, engaged, and civic-minded.

• Lesa Seibert is the CEO of Mightily, a digital-first integrated advertising agency in Louisville.
• Ryan Miranda is the president of Miranda Construction, LLC, a local contractor offering many services such as new construction and site evaluation.
• Sadiqa Reynolds is the president and CEO of Louisville Urban League, a non-profit organization that assists African Americans and other marginalized populations to attain social and economic equality.

There will also be a People’s Choice Award presented by Right Angle, which can be voted on here.  All of the 32 company finalists are eligible for that honor.

Since 2000, the Inc.credible Awards have recognized more than 100 small, local businesses for their ongoing contributions to our community’s economic vitality. The awards will be presented at the Inc.credible Awards Celebration on May 16^th, 2019 at 4:30 PM at C2 Event Venue. To attend the 2019 Inc.credible Awards, register here .