Women were the biggest winners at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards on Wednesday as three out of the four businesses and organizations honored were female-led or owned.
The 2019 winners announced at the annual luncheon and business expo were HR Business Solutions in the 1-20 employees category, Office Furniture Warehouse with 21-50 employees, Hutton in the 51-300 employees category and Signal Centers won out among the nonprofits recognized.
HR Business Solutions, Hutton and Signal Centers are all owned or led by women. Karen Hutton, president and CEO of Hutton, thanked all the small business owners in the room, stating the city of Chattanooga wouldn’t be what it is today without them.
“We all know how hard it is to run a business day in and day out with the trials and tribulations,” Hutton said. “We know it’s very difficult but to stand up and see all the women here today is remarkable … I just want to thank the women for standing up and fighting through the barriers.”
Finalists included Blades Creative, Shah Trucking, The Bitter Alibi, Dwell Hotel, Metal Working Solutions, Trident Transport, Chattanooga Area Food Bank and Creative Discovery Museum. Award finalists and recipients are selected by an independent volunteer committee of local business leaders convened by the chamber.