More than 400 attendees watched as three businesses and one nonprofit organization exemplified why Scottsdale is a superb place to work, live and play at the 29th Annual Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce Sterling Awards, held Fri., Nov. 14, at the Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale.
Four winners were selected from among 12 finalists for the coveted Sterling Award. The winners were:
Micro Business — Signs by Tomorrow Scottsdale
Small Business — Nussbaum Gillis & Dinner PC
Big Business — Vi at Silverstone
Non-Profit — Feeding Matters
No “rubber chicken” event, this year’s Sterling Awards pulled all the punches with its superhero theme. Complete with caped crusaders, comic book villains and catchy music, the awards ceremony delivered a big kapow! to the audience.
“This year’s Sterling Awards represents a most accomplished group of honorees,” said Rick Kidder, president and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce. “Each year, the applicants raise the bar a little more. But that is what makes this award as inspiring for our members to judge as it is to celebrate.”
Micro Business Honoree — Signs by Tomorrow Scottsdale
The Sterling Award for Micro Business recognizes an emerging business with 10 or fewer employees that exhibits success through innovation, creativity and collaboration.
Signs by Tomorrow Scottsdale creates affordable, high-impact signs and effective visual messaging solutions. As part of an international franchise system, Signs by Tomorrow is a local company with world-class expertise.
Also recognized in the Micro Business category were HR Wise LLC and FSW Funding.
This year’s Micro Business award was presented by Prestige Cleaners.
Small Business Honoree — Nussbaum, Gillis & Dinner PC
The Sterling Award for Small Business honors a small company, with between 11 and 99 employees, demonstrating innovation, quality, professionalism and commitment to the community.
Nussbaum, Gillis & Dinner PC is a private law firm located in North Scottsdale. Founded in 2008 by Randy Nussbaum and Greg Gillis, the firm focuses on complex bankruptcies, business litigation, construction and real estate law.
GPS Insight and Phoenix Jewish News were also named finalists in the Small Business category.
The 2014 Small Business award was presented by Cox Media.
Big Business Honoree — Vi at Silverstone
The Sterling Award for Big Business singles out a large company, with 100 or more employees, making a significant impact on the lives of its employees and the economic fabric of the community.
Vi at Silverstone is dedicated to providing quality environments, services and programs to enrich the lives of older adults.
Other Big Business finalists honored were FireSky Resort & Spa and VIP Mortgage.
Telesphere was the presenting sponsor for this year’s Big Business award.
Non-Profit Honoree — Feeding Matters
The Sterling Award for Non-Profit recognizes a charitable organization contributing to the social, cultural and educational well-being of its constituents.
Feeding Matters supports families with children who have feeding struggles through professional
education, advocacy, research, treatment and other resources.
Also named as finalists in the Non-Profit category were the Arizona Chapter of the National MS Society and Parada del Sol.
The Non-Profit award was presented by APS.
Tough award, tougher competition
The Sterling Awards are some of the most coveted business awards in the Valley because of the rigorous application, judging and selection process. The businesses and nonprofits that receive the award, all of which must be members of the Scottsdale Area Chamber, are truly exemplary in what they do, how they treat their employees and how they support the community.
Four teams of judges conduct an initial review of all applications, and narrow the field to three finalists in each category. Once finalists are identified, the judges conduct an onsite interview with company leaders and tour the business to learn more about its operations. Each judge then votes independently for a finalist, awarding it points. The points are then tallied, and the results are not released until the day of the event.
