Last week, our community celebrated the 2021 Manatee Small Business of the Year Awards. This program recognizes small businesses and nonprofit organizations for quality and excellence as exemplified by growth, productivity, customer service, job creation, and overall contribution to the community.

It was an incredible celebration of resiliency, commitment, core values, generosity, and success. Our community took the first and most important step in honoring the importance of small businesses to our economy by sending in more than 200 nominations for the awards. Thank you to so many for taking the time to do that. From those nominees, 90 finalists were selected and on Tuesday evening seven award winners were announced.

Our 2021 award recipients are Vet Care Express Animal Ambulance, Crystal Clean Green Cleaning, Ellenton Discount Pharmacy, Florida Suncoast Real Estate Inc., Shake Station Restaurant, Take Stock in Children of Manatee County, and Hope Family Services.

It was remarkable to hear about the success these businesses and nonprofits had in the face of many challenges. Without exception, the narratives shared about these award winners included an emphasis on serving clients at the highest level, supporting employees, rewarding excellence within their teams, and a priority in giving back to the community.

Small employers are the foundation of our local economy and make our region such a special place to live, work, play, and own a business. With the challenges of the past year and a half, the recognition we can offer feels even more important.

A recent survey of members of the Manatee Chamber indicated that there is significant optimism about what is ahead for our economy. There are still obstacles to business growth, and in some cases to a full recovery from the impact of the pandemic, but many of these challenges are not new. From labor shortages to supply chain interruptions to the never-ending evolutions in technology and customer preferences, business owners are continually adapting and responding. The challenges require ongoing, consistent attention.

One of the most important roles the Manatee Chamber has is to serve as the voice of business on policy-related issues. At the local, state, and federal level, we share the business community’s priorities on topics such as infrastructure, workforce development, regulation, education, healthcare, and more.

In two weeks, a team of Manatee Chamber members will travel to Tallahassee to share our priorities for the 2022 Florida legislative session. We will meet with Senators and Representatives from our region as well as key agency leaders. Then on Dec. 9 we will welcome our elected leaders to address the business community locally at our annual “Pancakes & Politics” event. This gives business leaders the opportunity to hear from our delegation about the upcoming session as well as share their thoughts on important topics they would like to see addressed in Tallahassee. We appreciate our delegation for placing a priority on listening and learning from their constituents and working to address the issues important to our region.

As we gather with family and friends for the Thanksgiving holiday, there is much to consider. Thank you to our veterans and active duty military personnel for your service, courage, and sacrifices. Thank you to our first responders, health care professionals, teachers, public employees, and key service industry personnel for all that you do. And thank you to our business owners and their employees for your commitment to service with excellence.

Small businesses drive economic growth, create jobs, stimulate innovation, and provide a supporting role to large corporations – they are the backbone of our economy. We believe one of the best and easiest things we can do to strengthen our economy is to support local businesses. It matters and I encourage you to shop local, think local, and support local.

Jacki Dezelski is president and CEO of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce and has been with the organization since 1996. She was the 2015 Florida Chamber Professional of the Year and has served on the board of several local nonprofits. She has a bachelor's degree in fine arts and a master's in business administration from the University of Florida and is a Manatee High School graduate. Contact her at JackiD@ManateeChamber.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: JACKI DEZELSKI: Manatee Small Business of Year Awards salute quality