Small business leaders discuss chamber award nominations
A consulting engineering firm, a community education center and an exterior remodeling business are finalists for the chamber's Small Business Awards, which will be decided today.
Leaders of nine area businesses find out if their company will receive an annually presented Small Business Award from the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce today.
Businesses are divided into three different categories, based on the number of employees.
Nooga.com profiled each of the largest companies.
Click here to read about SupportSeven, here to read about Chattanooga Allergy Clinic and here for the profile on Mike Collins & Associates.
Hullco Exteriors, March Adams & Associates Inc. and Woople LLC are in the 21-50 employee category, and Nooga spoke with representatives from each business finalist.
Hullco Exteriors
Founded in 1977, Hullco's leader is a second-generation owner.
"We are a locally owned family business, and what we do is exterior remodeling, replacement windows, entry doors, gutters [and] gutter protection," general manager Brian Brock said.
The business has 22 employees, and some of their work helps keep homes as energy efficient as possible.
The company grew from a business that supplied wood-burning stoves. And then the team began making vinyl storm windows, and it's evolved from there.
This year is the third time the business has been nominated for a chamber award, and the company has received a number of other awards, but the chamber's acknowledgement has eluded the business' leaders, Brock said.
Moving forward, the Hullco team has more to accomplish in their current area of expertise, he also said.
"We've decided that we do exteriors very, very well, and we feel like there is more business to do," Brock said.
Officials hope to increase business revenue by 20 percent in the next three to five years, he said.
And attention to detail and high-quality customer service are what differentiate Hullco from competitors.
"We are in a business where there is a lot of shoddy work," Brock said. "Our normal exceeds what should be out there."
March Adams & Associates Inc.
March Adams & Associates Inc. is a consulting engineering firm that offers civil, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering design, Tonya Gentry, director of marketing and business development, said.
March Adams is typically hired by an architect, and its team has done jobs such as the most recent addition to the Tennessee Aquarium.
From working on electrical heating and air units for a project to making sure the general structure is sound, the March Adams team of about 31 people does a wide range of work in 36 states. They also do some work overseas, Gentry said.
"We were formed in 1982, and last fall, we had our 30-year anniversary," she said.
The company stands out against the competition, she also said.
"We are the only locally owned, full-service engineering firm," Gentry said.
The company works with major companies, such as Volkswagen and CBL.
Woople LLC
Woople is essentially an education center.
"Our mission is to assist companies, organizations and individuals and improve their business and their lives through education," founder Paul Cummings said.
Woople has an application that an array of businesses can use. And many are already accessing the product.
Area business leaders can use the system to create their own content, such as video training tools, or they can access Woople's content.
Cummings said the four key descriptors of the application are simple, affordable, fun and efficient—SAFE is the acronym.
"We caught the industry not looking," Cummings said. "All the tools we don't charge for—our competitors did."
Woople's real-time system is easy to access, and a customer can be learning within five seconds, he said.
"What I'm proud of is the system has multiple uses," Cummings said.
The company continues to grow and is currently hiring. The Woople learning application is just the beginning, Cummings said.
"We will continue to develop software applications," he said. "We are looking around for additional real estate."
Soon, offices in Kansas City, Mo.; Tampa, Fla.; and Boise, Idaho; will be opening.
Within 10 years, Cummings wants to have centers in 200 cities, with the home office remaining in Chattanooga, he said.
Being a finalist for this award is significant, he also said.
"It just means the world to our team," he said. "They are so excited and so proud."
