Creative Lodging Solutions Named 2011 Commerce Lexington Inc. Small Business of the Year
At the Commerce Lexington Inc. Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon on October 28th presented by Cumberland Valley National Bank & Trust, Creative Lodging Solutions was named the 2011 Small Business of the Year. Last year marked a new format for Commerce Lexington’s small business awards program with more categories, more winners, more eligible local businesses, and the opportunity for further recognition on the state and national levels.
Creative Lodging Solutions, the recipient of this year’s Business Success Award, was chosen among six different category winners as the Small Business of the Year. The company will now be submitted by the Bluegrass Small Business Development Center for state and national recognition through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Creative Lodging Solutions (CLS) was founded in 2002 by Michael L. Tetterton, Carolyn Hundley, and Marsha Couch with the sole purpose of saving companies millions of dollars in hotel and travel expenses through its customized lodging programs that specialize in long-term, project-based stays. Tetterton’s extensive hotel industry background and an excellent business model have fueled the company’s rapid growth, landing it on the Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest-growing, private companies in America for the second consecutive year.
CLS has not only developed innovative solutions to help clients recognize significant cost-savings by researching hotels, negotiating rates, and booking room reservations, but it has also found ways to increase the productivity of its employees through things like a public scorecard of measurements for each department and technological enhancements, such as the internal development of its own proprietary software. Employee growth has gone from five people on staff in 2002 to 77 today, and CLS was ranked third among the 2011 Best Places to Work in Kentucky for small and medium-sized companies.
Commerce Lexington Inc. President and CEO, Bob Quick, said, “Much of what Commerce Lexington Inc. does is geared toward small businesses. After all, some 90-percent of the Commerce Lexington membership is made up of small businesses, while the small business segment contributes to most of the job growth nationally and in Fayette County, generates much of the innovations that come from U.S. companies, and employs over half of the country’s private sector workforce. I always leave these events energized and motivated by the stories we hear about our impressive local small businesses.”
2011 Salute to Small Business Category Award Winners
BUSINESS SUCCESS AWARD:
Creative Lodging Solutions
2424 Harrodsburg Road, Suite 200, Lexington, KY 40503
Phone: (859) 381-1825 | www.yourcls.com
Michael L. Tetterton, CEO/Owner
Creative Lodging Solutions (CLS) was founded in 2002 by Michael L. Tetterton, Carolyn Hundley, and Marsha Couch with the sole purpose of saving companies millions of dollars in hotel and travel expenses through its customized lodging programs that specialize in long-term, project-based stays. CLS has not only developed innovative solutions to help clients recognize significant cost-savings by researching hotels, negotiating rates, and booking room reservations, but it has also found ways to increase the productivity of its employees. The company's rapid growth has landed it on the Inc. 500|5000 list of the fastest-growing, private companies in America for the second consecutive year.
GREEN INITIATIVE AWARD:
DelCotto Law Group PLLC
200 North Upper Street, Lexington, KY 40507
Phone: (859) 231-5800 | www.dlgfirm.com
Laura Day DelCotto, Founding Member / Managing Partner
Founded in 2003, DelCotto Law Group PLLC is a small law firm that believes in seeking innovative and creative solutions to its clients’ financial and business problems. In 2007, the firm moved to the historic Barton House at the corner of Upper and Second Streets. Members of the firm recognized the historic importance of their new surroundings and were eager to both take good care of the office and the world around them. DelCotto Law Group put a strong emphasis on being energy efficient, recycling, and conserving energy in daily operations. Staff is encouraged to scrutinize whether to print a document or not, and the firm became a partner in the Live Green Lexington program in 2010. The firm has also had multiple energy audits performed to generate energy-saving ideas.
LEGACY AWARD:
Barney Miller's
232 East Main Street, Lexington, KY 40507
Phone: (859) 252-2216 | www.barneymillers.com
Barney Miller, President
When you think of legacy, few small businesses in Lexington can match the history and longevity of Barney Miller's, which has been serving the area for over 88 years and has twice passed from father to son. Its longstanding family-friendly atmosphere and a focus on providing customers with the very latest technology have been the cornerstones of the business since opening in 1922. Over the years, technology has changed at the speed of light, and the staff of Barney Miller's has always been there to educate and guide customers as the next "great thing" is developed and hits the market. Barney Miller’s introduced things like electric radios and televisions to Lexington, and today is home to the very latest in home entertainment - from lighting to 3D televisions, digital signage and video conferencing.
MINORITY BUSINESS AWARD:
Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists
1591 Winchester Road, Suite 106, Lexington, KY 40505
Phone: (859) 268-7604 | www.bluegrassveterinaryspecialists.com
Dr. Antu Radhakrishnan & Erica Radhakrishnan, Owners
Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists (BVS) began as a vision. Dr. Antu Radhakrishnan saw the need to create a state-of-the-art regional referral center for small animals where services would be provided by board certified specialists. Prior to the formation of Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists in 2005, there were no board-certified small animal veterinary internal medicine specialists in Lexington. If a dog or cat needed a referral, pet owners had to travel to Louisville or Cincinnati. Operating out of its new 2,600-square foot hospital on Winchester Road, Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists focuses on individualized, progressive care with an emphasis on minimally invasive diagnostics and procedures.
NONPROFIT AWARD:
Blue Grass Community Foundation
250 West Main Street, Suite 1220, Lexington, KY 40507
Phone: (859) 225-3343 | www.bgcf.org
Lisa Adkins, Executive Director
Sometimes it takes just one person with the vision and foresight to create something so powerful that it impacts the lives of so many. In the case of the Blue Grass Community Foundation (BGCF), it was actually two people - Irene and C.W. Sulier - whose vision to create a permanent endowment to provide for diverse community needs over time began in 1967. Today, the Blue Grass Community Foundation is one of nearly 700 community foundations across the nation and the oldest in Kentucky. The Blue Grass Community Foundation is a unique tax-exempt nonprofit that enables individuals, families, businesses and other nonprofit organizations to establish permanent charitable funds to meet current and future community needs.
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR AWARD:
Benezet and Associates
234 Industry Parkway, Suite 1, Nicholasville, KY 40356
1732 Houndstooth Glen Way, Lexington, KY 40515
Phone: (859) 885-1692 | www.benezetandassociates.com
Chris Benezet, Owner
Most kids have a hard enough time adjusting to high school, whether it's keeping up with class work and activities or the increased pressures that come with just being in high school, but throw in a small business on top of everything, and you've got a recipe for disaster. However, Chris Benezet wasn't you're ordinary student. In fact, he founded his first small business as a sophomore at Tates Creek High School and has never looked back. He established his own painting company called Precision at age 15 right out of his parents' basement, and by his senior year, Tates Creek H.S. was using his business as a resource for its co-op program. In 2007, he launched Benezet and Associates, a complete construction and remodeling business, which absorbed Precision Painting and Pressure Washing.
DMD Data Systems Named 2010 Commerce Lexington Inc. Overall Small Business of the Year
Commerce Lexington Inc. began a new era in 2010 for its annual small business recognition program with a revamped format that includes more awards, more winners, more eligible local businesses, and the opportunity for further recognition on the state and national levels. At the Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon presented by Cumberland Valley National Bank and Trust, the business community recognized small businesses in a variety of categories that include green initiatives, innovation, longevity, minority business, non-profit, young entrepreneur, and more.
From the eight individual award categories, an Overall Small Business of the Year was chosen, and that company will be submitted by the Bluegrass Small Business Development Center for state and national recognition through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Commerce Lexington Inc. is pleased to announce that DMD Data Systems, Inc. was named the 2010 Salute to Small Business Overall Small Business of the Year.
Founded by Dave Sevigny, DMD Data Systems is a 14-year old employee-owned Kentucky small business serving the Lexington, Louisville and Frankfort areas. The DMD team’s expertise in consolidating technology and ensuring business continuity helps medium-sized and large organizations in education, state and local government, healthcare, and the private sector perform better.
DMD’s uncomplicated approach to technology, service excellence, an employee-friendly business model, and its corporate social responsibility practices have contributed to exceptional revenue growth that has twice landed it on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, as well as the Computer Reseller News (CRN) Fast Growth 100 list.
DMD Data Systems recently positioned itself for more long-term success by investing in its own Commonwealth of Kentucky Technology Innovation Center (CoKTIC) in 2009. This Center is the only one of its kind in Kentucky and provides a multi-million dollar hardware and software platform and facility in Frankfort, which enables the Commonwealth of Kentucky access to all of the most current and relevant technologies for local constituents to sample in a risk-free environment.
2010 Salute to Small Business Award Winners Announced
INNOVATION AWARD
Recognizes a small business that has demonstrated ability in adopting and utilizing technology to directly increase productivity, efficiency, revenue and/or profits.
Creative Lodging Solutions
LEGACY AWARD
Awarded to exceptional companies that have been in business for 25-plus years, multi-generational businesses, and past CLX Small Business Celebration award winners.
Al Torstrick Insurance Agency, Inc.
MINORITY BUSINESS AWARD
Recognizes an outstanding minority-owned small business for exceptional products and services, growth, its response to adversity, and any other unique aspects of the business.
TKT & Associates, Inc.
SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
Recognizes a small business for exceptional company operations, products and services, growth, its response to adversity, and any other unique aspects of the business.
DMD Data Systems, Inc.
NONPROFIT AWARD
Awarded to a non-profit organization that has shown significant impact and return on investment, the ability to inspire and engage volunteers, and ways to maximize its output and reach within the community.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Housing Authority
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
Awarded to an entrepreneur under the age of 35 for operating a small business with at least a three-year track record for success.
APAX Software
GREEN INITIATIVE AWARD
Awarded for implementing green initiatives – either internal or external – that encourage sustainable business practices and finding environmentally-friendly ways to do business.
Bluegrass PRIDE
PHOENIX AWARD
Awarded to business owners or communities that have successfully recovered from a disaster – natural, economic or manmade – and emerged stronger and poised for growth.
Micah Group Energy & Environmental, Inc.