The Tampa Bay Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Awards on November 16th marked the 43rd year of the awards. More than 500 guests were on-hand at the Seminole Hard Rock & Casino Tampa when SBOY history was made with its first winner from the Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator (MBA)! Paragon Cyber Solutions, of the MBA 2024 Cohort, won Small Business of the Year in the category of 5- 20 Employees. But the accelerator’s wins didn’t stop there!
Within minutes of Paragon founder Courtney Jackson walking across the winner’s stage, another winner from the MBA program was called! Winning in the SBOY category of 51 – 250 Employees was MidFlorida Armored & ATM Services of the MBA 2019 Cohort! Congratulations to Jackson and Mid Florida’s Danny Persaud on these historic wins for the accelerator program, as well as SBOY! Persaud was in its very first cohort, MBA 2019 Cohort. Jackson is part of its 6th, MBA 2024 Cohort, which is set to graduate next fall.
“This is the culmination of an amazing year in our Minority Business Accelerator Program. To go from recognition at the World Chambers Congress in Switzerland to having our first Small Business of the Year winners in the 43-year history of SBOY is simply incredible!” said Avril Stinson, Vice President of Economic Inclusion and Leadership Programs at the Chamber. “Neither milestone would have been possible without our MBA sponsors! They are, truly, the wind beneath our wings! Their support is what makes possible the robust curriculum that builds up small businesses, strengthening them in all areas of operations. To have not one, but two MBA participants beat out hundreds of nominees and finalists being judged by SBOY’s rigorous criteria of 40+ years is remarkable. Our accelerator is only in its 6th year.”
This year's SBOY competition included a record number of semi-finalists and finalists from the accelerator program – six in all! Stinson congratulating MBA 2022 Cohort members Livy O's led by Lennise Germany and Integrated Security Consultants led by Kenneth Stewart – both among the elite group of 20 businesses to make it to the SBOY Finals this year. Advancing from the initial rounds and all the way up to the SBOY Semi-Finals were MBA 2023 Cohort members Mijan Construction led by Charles Jackson and Ortega Custom Cabinets led by Damaris Ortega. The 10-month SBOY process of elimination annually starts with approximately 400 nominees!
More than 50 judges and SBOY committee volunteers had the daunting task of reviewing company finances, community involvement and ethical business practices of nominees, then semi-finalists, and finalists before selecting this year's winners. SBOY Awards were started by the Chamber in 1980 as a way to celebrate small businesses, which represent a vital part of the local economy. Annually, four categories are awarded to small businesses, plus an Outstanding Business Leader of the Year is named.
SBOY Winner 5–20 Employees: Paragon Cyber Solutions
Paragon Cyber Solutions is a minority-owned, veteran-owned, woman-owned business with more than 20 years of specialized experience in security assessments, cybersecurity services, and technical engineering for mission support and execution. Paragon is known for providing customized solutions to reduce clients’ risk of exposure to cyber-attacks, while strengthening the client’s security infrastructure. Paragon’s Founder and CEO is a member of the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator 2024 Cohort.
SBOY Winner 51–250 Employees: MidFlorida Armored & ATM Services, Inc
MidFlorida Armored & ATM Services is a locally, minority-owned & operated business. Starting in 2002 in Tampa, the company has grown to more than 60 employees, 60 armored vehicles and a service area now spanning the entire state of Florida. MidFlorida serves the financial needs of customers on a variety of levels, from streamlining business flow to embracing technology, including the use of GPS/camera system on every armored vehicle.
The full list of 2023 winners also includes BoylenPoint Contender Dealership, Startup Business of the Year; Bake More Pies Digital Marketing Agency, Small Business of the Year 21-50 Employees Category and Robert J. Clark, Jr. President of Tampa Steel Erecting Company, named Outstanding Small Business Leader of the Year. This Chamber Signature Event was presented by Adcock Financial and Vistra Communications.
To learn more about the Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator, visit our MBA website.
