Chamber honors business excellence

Jeff Hollansworth of Re/Max of Hot SpringsVillage accepted the Hot Springs Village Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award on behalf of 40 employees. (Joan Jacobson photo)

Four local enterprises and business people were honored at last week's Hot Springs Village Area Chamber of Commerce and Hot SpringsVillage Voice awards banquet.  

Best of Builders, Emily Pratt of Ameriprise Financial, Company's Comin', and Re/ Max of Hot Springs Village all received chamber awards.

Hosted by the energetic Steve Chadick, the ban- quet, with about 226 people in attendance, recognized excellence in customer service, energy conservation, entrepreneurialism, and business success.

Best of Builders won the Green Award for demonstrating environmental best practices, sustainable development, viable energy alternatives and energy conservation.

Emily Pratt of Ameriprise Financial won the Excellence in Customer Service/People Development Award for showing a willingness to develop and master the skills of customer service, as well as problem solving while maintaining composure and congeniality.

Melinda Bickford of Company's Comin' won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for demonstrating stability, creativity, and innovation, while being instrumental in the success of a business.  

"I'm very excited about this tonight," Bickford told the crowd. "I had worked for a company doing paperwork for 30 years of my life, and last year I jumped into a business. Every day I get up, and I'm so thrilled to be doing what I'm doing.

"I love having a place for people to come and enjoy a cup of coffee or latte with a friend while they find a little card or gift. I couldn't do this without my husband and all my staff."

The Business of the Year Award went to Arkansas Realty Partners dba Re/Max of Hot Springs Village for showing stability, creativity, innovation, strategic-driven business growth and community participation and involvement.

"We snuck in under the line," joked Jeff Hollansworth, who accepted the award. "Where it says you had to make a profit in order to qualify for this category, we almost didn't make it.  

"Thank you so very much. This is about the 40 agents who have been so diligent and gotten involved in your lives and in the life of the Village.

"We're having a paradigm shift. This is no longer a retirement community. People looking to move here are asking us, 'Where are the jobs? Where can I get work?' The chamber will play a huge role in answering that question."

The event was catered by Home Plate Café with the invocation given by Tim Culbreth of Teen Challenge. Several young men from Teen Challenge comprised the wait staff.

Premier Partners of the banquet were the Hot Springs Village Voice, Arkansas' largest weekly newspaper, and Re/Max of Hot Springs Village.

Impression Makers Printing printed the evening's programs, East Gate Cranford's created the table floral arrangements, Spectrum Technology Solutions provided multimedia equipment, and Arkansas Online Marketing Services, LLC created the invitations, programs and multi-media presentation.