They may be small businesses, but three companies honored Tuesday have had a big impact on the community, representatives from the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce said.
The Chamber and Texas A&M's Historically Underutilized Business program presented awards to Donna Garrett of Garrett Transfer and Storage Inc.; Antonio Ortiz of Agnitek; and Angelique Gammon and Renea Dewitt, with The Insite Group.
The winners were chosen by a committee of Chamber board members who reviewed nominations of local Hispanic, African-American, Asian, American Indian and female business owners who have made significant contributions to the community. The winners were announced at a luncheon at the Briarcrest Country Club.
Chamber of Commerce President Royce Hickman said a significant number of small businesses that contribute to the region's economy are owned by entrepreneurs who qualify for the Historically Underutilized Business program.
"Even though it has been mentioned before, it bears repeating: Small businesses are very important to us," Hickman said. "There are still many people who do not realize that our community is much more dependent on small businesses for sales and employment than our state or our nation."
Hickman said the award recipients should be commended for making the community a better place to live.
"These are courageous individuals who invest not only their time and energy, but personal financial resources as well," he said.
The three businesses recognized participate in a number of community and nonprofit organizations.
Garrett and two partners purchased a moving company in Bryan in 1999 and, three years later, she partnered with two other companies to create a larger moving and storage company, according to Tedi Ellison. She is chairwoman of the Chamber's board of directors and presented the awards.
Mayflower Transit ranks Garrett Transfer and Storage as No. 1 in its size based on customer survey results, Ellison said.
The company has 28 employees and an annual payroll of around $600,000, Ellison said.
Garrett said the company tries to focus on contributing to the community. "So, this really means something to us that it's a community impact award," she said.
Ortiz, part owner and chief operating officer of AgniTEK, has been with the information technology company since its beginning in 1999, Ellison said.
It's the company's second business community impact award. It has also received five Newman 10 awards.
Ortiz said the award is an indication that the company is making a difference.
"It tells us we're going in the right direction," he said.
The company has 14 employees and an annual payroll of almost $600,000, Ellison said.
Also honored on Tuesday were Gammon and Dewitt.
Their two companies merged in 1997 to form The Insite Group, which allowed them to hire more people and buy a building in downtown Bryan, Ellison said.
The company has 35 employees and an annual payroll in excess of $1 million, she said.
"They are proud that they have always provided health insurance to their employees," Ellison said.
Gammon said the community played a role in the company's success.
"If this wasn't such a business-friendly community, we wouldn't have grown as much," she said.
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