U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Chattanooga, presents Linda Herrmann, center, and her mother Dorris Prevou, owners of Red Bank award shop Mr. Trophy, with an Economic Excellence Award. Contributed photo

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After 40 years in business, Linda Herrmann was happy to see her trophy store get an award of its own.

Herrmann sells personalized plaques, trophies and ribbons for her family's Red Bank business Mr. Trophy. She and her mother, Dorris Prevou, were presented an Economic Excellence Award Tuesday afternoon recognizing their years of success, business savvy and history as a family-owned shop.

"We didn't only run a business for 40 years, we work very closely with the community," Herrmann said.

Over the years, the family has been involved in a number of local events such as car shows. Prevou, who started the business with her husband and keeps the books, helped found the Red Bank Chamber of Commerce.

In the outfit's decades of operation, Pervou has watched Mr. Trophy slowly grow. The business took a hit around 2008, she said, but is recovering.

"The downturn hurt everybody, I think small businesses in particular," she said. "You just have to know how to budget your money."

Mr. Trophy made several small adjustments such as cutting back store hours and strictly controlling inventory to weather the recession. The family sell tens of thousands of awards each year.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Chattanooga, presented the award to Herrmann and Prevou in their store. He said the business deserved recognition for its commitment to the area, its family-oriented operation and its business success.