Greater Gainesville Chamber hosts the annual Business of the Year Awards

Business leaders of more than 30 Gainesville companies dressed in white to symbolize a fresh start for the local business community in the Greater Gainesville Chamber’s 2021 Business of the Year awards. The award ceremony did not take place last year because of the pandemic.

“As the first major event since COVID, we wanted this to be an event we could enjoy,” said Eric Godet, President and CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber.

When the guests met for cocktails and aperitifs in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center of the University of Florida before the awards ceremonies, they expressed their enthusiasm.

Fernando Sanchez, a member of GRUCom, said that networking has been difficult for this type of event over the past year.

“These events create a sense of normalcy,” he said. “An opportunity to get together.”

The festive atmosphere continued at the awards ceremony and the evening program, with dancing and balloon throwing between the awards.

Shaw Adcock, director of marketing for the Greater Gainesville Chamber, said the awards show also wowed members of his organization.

“We want to do this through our members and we want them all to meet,” he said. “We celebrate the best parts of our community.”

The award categories included the company with its commitment to social commitment and the best employer. A record number of companies applied for recognition this year; over 30 companies were represented in the final. The companies that applied and were represented in the program are just a selection of the more than 1,000 companies and over 80,000 members in the Chamber.

Adcock said there were 30 judges helping identify the winners this year.

The New Business of the Year award recognizes an outstanding company that has been open for less than 2 years. The victorious Kidstrong company helps young children build self-confidence through socialization, public speaking, and other vital life skills.

Nonprofits have been divided into large and small groups: small organizations that have raised less than $ 2 million and large organizations that have raised more.

Rebuilding Together, an organization that improves the safety and health of homeowners in need, received the small, non-profit award. Haven Hospice, one of the first Florida hospice companies to set up, won the major charitable award.

Exactech, which has been based in Gainesville since 1994, received the Tech Company of the Year Award.

Other awards recognized commitment to the environment and to diversity, justice and inclusion.

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