2021 Summit Award Finalists

First Citizens Bank Forever First Award

Curry In A Hurry, LLC - Curry in a Hurry is a catering, food truck and food hall business run by Alaksha Surti and her husband, Neel Surti.  They strive to deliver high quality food to our customers and offer great value in providing excellent customer service.  The company philosophy is to provide excellent customer service to each customer with exquisite and flavorful cuisine, so they enjoy every bite of their meal and want them to come back for more.  Alaksha's products which are her wordly meals are created from recipes passed down from generations and then modified with her special touch and creativity.

Charles Ashley Mann, DDS & Associates-At Dr. Charles Ashley Mann & Associated Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, our philosophy and number one goal is to help our dental patients achieve optimal dental health and make them feel like they are a part of our dental family.  We do this by educating our patients about their individual oral health and discussing what their goals are for the long-term health and integrity of their teeth and smile.  Dr. Mann doesn't worry about the production, as it will come when treating your patients and employees well. 

Chick-fil-A Garner-We at Chick-fil-A of Garner leave a lasting impact on those who come in contact with us.  Our corporate philosophy is to glorify God by being faithful stewards of all that's been entrusted to us and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.  We believe that we've accomplished just that, as we seek to engage every single person who walks through our doors with love, hospitality and encouragement.  We also believe every single person should be treated with honor, dignity and respect.  These principles serve as a compass for our organization, ultimately directing where we go, and all we hope to accomplish.

 

La Cocina Vision and Values Award

BPG Management-BPG Management Company is a full service commercial real estate firm that prides itself on creating unparalleled business environments for its clients.  From the leasing agents to the property managers to the building maintenance staff, the management team provides quality professional service.  We work with our clients to anticipate any obstacles, find solutions and assure their success.  It is important to us that our clients thrive.  With 23 employees, our team has 250+ years in collective commercial real estate experience.  Each team member brings their unique, strong skill set to the job and we work collaboratively to meet the needs of our clients.  We invest in our employees, our business parks, our clients and our community.

Poole Family YMCA-The Poole Family YMCA embraces a thinking culture where our employees can grow and be innovative within our organization, as well as being a company that invests and supports our community through philanthropy, exceptional and unique programming and outreach opportunities.  The feel in our branch is created by wonderful staff who believe in our values, model them in their voice and meet the expectations, philosophies and beliefs in our YMCA Mission and Cause.  Our mission is 'To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all'.  

Abberly Place Apartments-Abberly Place at White Oak Crossing is an award-winning apartment community that is professionally owned and managed by HHHunt. You will find this gorgeous 600 apartment home community nestled behind White Oak shopping center, adjacent to the movie theater.  With all of the amazing conveniences of White Oak but with the serenity of peace, our location in Garner has been instrumental to our success.  Our employees fully embrace the visions, mission, brand promises and values of HHHunt and is a part of our daily culture.  Our company's visions is to improve the world and how people live y creating meaningful experiences and places of great distinction. 

 

Jones Insurance Excellence In Business Award

Matt Davis - State Farm - Matt Davis State Farm began operating on November 1, 2021 and  is an independently owned agency and focus primarily on insurance and financial services in Garner, NC and the surrounding areas.  We commit daily to providing exceptional customer service and assist our customers in identifying everyday risks and preparing for their financial future.  If you're not innovating, you're stagnating.  The last nine years in business has brought many challenges and changes.  Our office has adopted new technology, products offered and ideas to stay in a competitive position.  We are consistently looking for ways to engage our team into the operation on a daily basis.

Kairos Project Group, Inc. - Founded in March of 2012, Kairos Project Group, Inc is a consulting engineer firm specializing in mechanical electrical, plumbing and automation design in the commercial, pharmaceutical and industrial industries.  In the pharmaceutical industry, we have working on projects from Premier Pharmacy Labs, BASF and Foundation Medicine.  In the commercial industry, we have worked on various projects including the new Old North State Food Hall.  In the industrial industry, we have worked on multiple projects with Coty, Inc.  We understand that time is anyone's or any company's most valuable asset.  We have a unique ability to prioritize deliverables to allow construction efforts to commence efficiently.  

Art Positive NC - The Art Enrichment Program was established in 1988 when Lynn Soles began to offer non-profit schools an affordable art curriculum.  Lynn attended East Carolina University to pursue a career in commercial art and eduction.  The need for a stand-alone art program to supplement choices in education led her to develop this program as an accredited course of study.  In the past 3 years, the program because known as "ArtPositive" and now offers virtual and live classes for accreditation and offers in-person Art Therapy.  The program offers a stressful way to solve problems visually and tactically, giving students the tools and confidence to create their own art.  The vision has since included using art as therapy; helpful in setting short term and long term goals and advancement in dexterity and cognitive development. 

 

Charles Ashley Mann, DDS & Associates Steady Growth and Achievement Award

Little Details - Little Details is a women's clothing and gift boutique that serves the community of Garner, NC.  I (Jessica Throneburg) originally started Little Details as a monogramming business that I worked on from my dining room table.  I opened an Etsy shop in October 2012 and traveled to various holiday shows throughout our area, where I monogrammed onsite.  These shows allowed me to build my customer base.  As my customers base grew, I realized that my revenue was limited to how much I could physically monogram in any given day.  So I began to add boutique apparel and gifts to my product offerings in March 2013.  I build a stand-along e-commerce site and continues traveling to local shows while was an online shop.  Little Details had steady growth year over year, which allowed me to open a 12-- sq ft storefront in Garner in April 2017.  Once I opened a storefront, I was able to expand our product lines, which attracted new clients and allowed for more growth.  This growth eventually pushed me to quadruple Little Details' square footage in March 2020, when we relocated to a 5200 sq ft storefront in the same shopping center.

The Bookkeeper - The Bookkeeper was officially founded in 2013 by Craig Barbee, with the intent of operning a small business bookkeeping company.  As he was busy with other ventures, work on the company did not truly begin until the following year and his daughter, Courtney, joined within those first few months.  It quickly became apparent that Craig could not shake his CFOP history, and The Bookeeper was soon offering not just full-charge bookkeeping, but CFO and consulting services for a variety of organizations, ranging from single-member LLCs to companies and non-profits employing hundreds.  Today The Bookkeeper boasts 11 full-time employees and 2 permanent contractors, serving roughly 250 business clients.  Moreover, the company's growth has increase year-over-year with no signs of slowing down.

Turner Farms Self Storage - In April of 2000, Douglas Ball formed a small Real Estate Development/Property Management company under the name Ball Rentals.  Ball Rentals, at the time, specialized in residential subdivision development, commercial development and property management.  In 2009, Ball Rentals purchased Turner Farms Self Storage.  The property consisted of 3 traditional drive-up non-climate-controlled buildings totaling 183 unites and twenty-five gravel lot boat and RV parking spaces with an occupancy rate of approximately 58%.  Turner Farms Self Storage's landscape has changed quite a bit since the!  Fast forward twelve years to 2021.  Two major expansions later, doubling our rentable square footage with each project in 2015 and 2018.  Turner Farms Self Storage now boasts a sprawling 880 climate and non-climate-controlled units with an additional thirty-seven paved boar and RV parking spaces.  Totaling 917 units or 105,000 rentable square feet with an occupancy rte of 93%.  Three additional sites totaling 300,000 square feet are currently under construction and are scheduled to open in 2022-23.  

 

Wingswept Entrepreneurial Award

Art Positive NC - The Art Enrichment Program was established in 1988 when Lynn Soles began to offer non-profit schools an affordable art curriculum.  Lynn attended East Carolina University to pursue a career in commercial art and eduction.  The need for a stand-alone art program to supplement choices in education led her to develop this program as an accredited course of study.  In the past 3 years, the program because known as "ArtPositive" and now offers virtual and live classes for accreditation and offers in-person Art Therapy.  The program offers a stressful way to solve problems visually and tactically, giving students the tools and confidence to create their own art.  The vision has since included using art as therapy; helpful in setting short term and long term goals and advancement in dexterity and cognitive development. 

E2 Technologies, Inc - E2 Technologies, formerly known as Effect Energy, was founded in Garner in 2008 as a sole proprietorship.  We provide technical consulting, security, and green building certification services for residential and commercial construction.  In 2012, as part of our green business initiative, we installed solar panels on our rooftop to become Garner' first near net zero energy use company. The following year, we merged with an existing business, Trademark Security, Inc, changed our name and expanded our services to included security and home automation.  We have grown to over eight employees and provide expanded services in energy and security, holding professional licenses in both occupations.  Most recently, we developed a remote surveillance system by combining video cameras, 4G cellular connection, on board recording and solar panels for sustainable power.  With the expansion of our services, we are the only energy efficiency, video surveillance, security and home automation business in North Carolina. 

Permanent Beauty, LLC - Permanent Beauty was established in 2009 when Lynn Soles brought Permanent Cosmetics to Johnston and Eastern Wake Counties.  Lynn is first of all a portrait artists and tattoo professional, so this was a natural fit.  Her ability to apply natural appearing enhancements to the face was a result of her daughter's struggle with alopecia (loss of facial hair), Lynn began designing a lasting solution for her.  This was a driving desire to lear, and be certified as a professional permanent makeup artist, through the Society of Permanent Cosmetics Professionals).  Over the last 11 years, she has built a reputation for exceptional work and excellent customer service.  New services are offered yearly and cost has been kept affordable. 

 

Coastal Credit Union Nonprofit Achievement Award

Garner Economic Development Corporation - The Garner Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) was founded in 2010.  The organization was formed after the Town of Garner's largest employer and taxpayer, ConAgra Foods, shuttered their food processing facility on Jones Sausage Road.  ConAgra subsequently donated their facility to the non-profit and the GEDC took ownership and responsibility for the redevelopment of the 98-acre former ConAgra property, which would be known as the Garner Technology Center Site.  After its founding, the GEDC's purpose was, and still is, to support economic development, community development and education in Garner, thereby lessening the burdens of local and State government through its efforts to promote the public purposes of creating jobs, increasing the tax base, and improving the quality of live and education in the community.

Garner PAAL - Garner Police Athletic/Activities League was founded in October 2010.  Over the past 11 years, we have been able to parter with the community and impact the lives of countless children along the way.  Beginning with a partnership at East Garner Magnet Middle School and meeting with the principal at the time, Dr. Williams, we formed our first program to dedicate school and police staff for the first every PAAL club in Wake County Public School history.  We then expanded to North Garner Middle School and started our first all-female program.  The club concept has now been expanded to all Garner schools.  We have sponsored many at-risk youth and teams to participate in Optimist Basketball, Civitan Pop Warner Football and Garner Baseball as well as securing spots at Russell Wilson's Passing Camp and the Holt Brother's Foot Camps.  Students have also attend Carolina Mudcats and Carolina Hurricanes events at no cost to the participants.  Students at all levels are learning social skills, bullying prevention, fitness and nutrition improvement, goal setting strategies, anger management, and self-confidence.  We have enriched the lives of many students by giving them an avenue to be able to play sports in the Garner community.  By being able to teach these skills to our youth we are making our community that much stronger and safer.

Community Of Hope Ministries - Community of Hope Ministries was founded in 2004 as a 501(c)3 organization.  Our mission is to eliminate the barriers to success in the home, at school, at work and in the community for at-risk children and families in the greater Garner area.  Community of Hope began as a grant-funded, free, after school tutoring program for at-risk elementary ages students who live in poverty and who did not meet grade level expectations in reading and math.  It is the only surviving program of. three originally funded by the federal grant.  Community of Hope quickly realized that the at-risk children in the free, after school tutoring program really represented at-risk families living in the greater Garner area.  As a result, Community of Hope's programming quickly expanded to include a huge food pantry, a summer camp for the same student demographic, a crisis assistance program, a carpenter's hands ministry serving the elderly, widowed ,and physically challenged and a job-skill readiness program for the under-employed and unemployed seeking new workplace opportunities. Community of Hope continues to adapt to needs in the community and recently expanded its food pantry by building a 300 square foot walk in cooler and walk in freezer.