Small Business Champs

The recession battered all manner of companies, from big to small. But small businesses had one major advantage over their larger peers: flexibility to quickly cope with a rapidly changing economic environment.

Obviously, many small businesses have closed their doors during this economic downturn, but there were also many small businesses that survived and even managed to thrive in the Great Recession.

Recently, five small businesses from across the state were honored with Spirit of Enterprise awards. The awards are given out each year by the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University through its Spirit of Enterprise Center to recognize firms “that demonstrate ethics, energy and excellence in entrepreneurship.”

The 13th annual Spirit of Enterprise award winners are:

Answer 1 Communications - Innovation in Entrepreneurship Award. This telephone answering and remote receptionist service provides top-notch customer service. It has also embraced new technology over three decades, thriving every time its industry was faced with major changes. In addition, employees participate in two community benefits each month.

Caliente Construction Inc. - Overcoming Adversity Award sponsored by the Arizona Lottery. When the company's founder became terminally ill, rather than selling off the business, his wife chose to support their employees and prove that a woman-owned construction company could succeed in a male-dominated industry. The firm now has a repeat-client/client-referral rate above 85 percent. This year, it has added employees and expects to see a 20 percent increase in revenue.

D. P. Electric Inc. - Gary L. Trujillo Minority Enterprise Award sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. This fast-growing electrical contractor has a safety incentive program and an employee profit-sharing program. It also features an in-house mentoring program designed to help other minority businesses.

Express Digital Solutions - Special Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award. This authorized Xerox Corp. Agency also specializes in electronic document management and paper document scanning. The company partners with Gompers Habilitation Center to employ more than 30 adults with disabilities.

Terralever - Emerging Entrepreneur Award sponsored by U.S. Bank. This award-winning interactive marketing and technology services firm is an interactive partner with big names, including Facebook and Microsoft. However, it also has a goal of helping small, local companies with online marketing strategies.

With small businesses making up an estimated 97 percent of all companies in Arizona, the Spirit of Enterprise Center’s mission of supporting the entrepreneurs of today and encouraging the entrepreneurs of tomorrow is critical to the economic growth of our state.