In late June, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce in Sarasota, Florida, held its 2024 Frank G. Berlin Sr. Small Business Awards at new Sarasota venue The Ora. The sold-out event celebrated excellence in the Sarasota business community. This year, the awards recognized the outstanding achievements of local small businesses across 10 award categories, with three finalists in each category.
Categories and winners included Small Business of the Year, which was won by Express Employment Professionals; Nonprofit Organization of the Year, won by Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County; Minority-Owned Business of the Year, won by Aginto–A Digital Agency; and, new this year, the Hospitality Business of the Year award, won jointly by Gecko’s Hospitality Group and Michael’s on East Restaurant & Catering, to name a few of those honored. Finalists were selected by a panel of chamber members, and winners were chosen by a separate panel that conducted interviews with the finalists.
Highlights of the event included several heartfelt acceptance speeches, the opportunity for attendees to network and exchange ideas, and a post-event reception. The Ora opened in Sarasota in April of this year and offers a beautiful and elegant setting that the chamber of commerce notes perfectly complemented the prestige of its event with an impressive 10,000-square-foot ballroom space.
“We were honored to host our Small Business Awards at The Ora,” says Ed Hill, vice president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. “We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate the achievements of our local business community.”