Cobb Chamber honors its Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year, Businesses to Watch, Next Level of Excellence winner, the Small Business Hall of Fame, and Community Service Excellence award winners.
Today, the Cobb Chamber named Artisan Custom Closets the 2022 Small Business of the Year at its Small Business of the Year Awards event, presented by LOUD Security Systems, Inc. and S.A. White Oil Company.
Established in 2011, Artisan Custom Closets designs, manufactures and installs custom storage solutions in residential homes. A woman-owned business, the company focuses on organizing closets, pantries, offices, laundry rooms, garages, and additional spaces within the home.
“Our mission is simple, to make people’s lives more organized and save them time,” shared Lisa Carlquist, President and Master Storage Designer of Artisan Custom Closets, in the company’s Small Business of the Year Awards application. “It has been quite the journey over the last 25 years in this industry watching people start out viewing custom closets as a luxury; now, most people see them as a necessity.”
The Artisan Custom Closets team is dedicated to finding the best possible solution for its customers by providing perfectly functional and aesthetically appealing storage systems to clients according to their storage requirements, budget, and style preferences. The team provides clients with a one-on-one consultation and 3D imaging designs before manufacturing in Marietta and installing custom pieces within the home, guiding clients through each step from start to finish.
Artisan Custom Closets pride themselves on being the only company in Georgia to have its designers certified by the Association of Closet & Storage Professionals. Additionally, the company uses environmentally friendly products that are made from 100% recovered or recycled wood fibers. With 20,000 customers in the Atlanta area, the team’s strong work ethics, professionalism, and quality of workmanship has expanded the business to new heights.
As the Chamber’s 2022 Small Business of the Year, Artisan Custom Closets will compete in the state’s small business of the year competition.
Competitive Application and Selection Process
To be considered for the Top 25 Small Businesses of Year, each hopeful candidate submits an application to the Cobb Chamber. The applicants must prove an increase in sales or unit volume, provide examples of innovation, discuss adversity and challenges, and thoroughly detail their community involvement. Applications are analyzed and considered by a group of independent community business leaders and affiliates of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
After all of the submitted applications are judged and rated, five finalists are selected based on their numerical score. The five finalists are then put through a second step in the application process – a site visit by an independent panel of judges. The visit is meant to be a fresh, in-person opportunity to present the ideals, practices, values and day-to-day operations discussed in their initial application.
2022 Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year
The Cobb Chamber honored the following Top 25 Small Businesses at the 2022 Small Business of the Year Awards:
41 South Creative Honeysuckle Biscuits & Bakery
Artisan Custom Closets HR Knowledge Source
CDH Partners InPrime Legal
CFO Navigator The Janice Overbeck Real Estate Team
DeNyse Companies Manay CPA, Inc.
Digital Yalo The Partnership
The Dwell Collective Peach State Lumber Products
DynamiX Web Design, LLC PLAY, LLC
Eclipse Networks Poole’s Pharmacy
Four Hats, Inc. Proda Technology, LLC
Georgia Trade School Southeastern Computer Associates
Governors Gun Club Kennesaw Stablegold Hospitality
GreenMellen
2022 Businesses to Watch
In order to recognize the impressive accomplishments of many new Cobb businesses, the Cobb Chamber expanded its Small Business of the Year program to include the Businesses To Watch awards presentation. These are businesses that have launched less than three years ago and have already achieved substantial growth. Sundial Pools, LLC was named the 2022 Business to Watch.
Sundial Pools is a custom pool builder with over 25 years of industry experience. Specializing in custom designed pools and renovation projects, Sundial Pools was born at the height of COVID and has since expanded to a full-time service department, commercial department, and joint office and show room.
Sundial Pools’ goal is to build people amazing custom pools within budget and time restraints and continue the relationship with clients well after the pool is built. The company sets itself apart from the competition through its use of technology – from light shows and water fountains to temperature adjustment all controlled from the client’s phone. With a goal of 5 pools at the company’s inception, Sundial Pools client based has expanded to 25 clients within the last year.
2022 Next Level of Excellence
New for 2022, the Next Level of Excellence award recognizes companies that have exceeded SBA size standards and are continuing to excel. The 2022 award was awarded to North Georgia Staffing.
Headquartered in Kennesaw, 21 offices in the Southeast region are dedicated to offering a customized staffing approach to client’s unique needs. North Georgia Staffing was established in 2009 with a vision to provide exceptional human resources and staffing services built on a culture of quality with integrity.
North Georgia Staffing provides real time wage survey analysis for employee attraction, consultations on hiring practices, and improvements in the workplace for employee retainment and engagement. North Georgia Staffing has a vision to be a dynamic staffing agency by creating solutions for our clients’ business strategies and objectives.
Community Service Excellence Award Winners
The Community Service Excellence Award is presented to a small business that has made a significant contribution to its community through impactful works of service.
• SpeedPro Marietta
• Peach Tree Commercial Capital, LLC
• Poultry Partners, LLC – dba Zaxby’s
Small Business Hall of Fame
The 2021 Small Business of the Year, CROFT & Associates, was also honored during the awards program. The reigning small business of the year is inducted into the Small Business Hall of Fame, which includes all county and state winners of the Small Business of the Year award from Cobb County since 1982. The full list of Small Business Hall of Fame honorees can be found at www.cobbchamber.org/sboy.
Minority-Owned Business of the Year and Woman-Owned Business of the Year
For 2022, we are proud to announce two special award categories: the 2022 Minority-Owned Business of the Year and Woman-Owned Business of the Year.
The 2022 Minority-Owned Business of the Year was awarded to HR Knowledge Source. The award recognizes a small business that has attained outstanding business achievement and exemplifies the significant contributions made by minority-owned businesses in the country.
The 2022 Woman-Owned Business of the Year award recognizes a small business that has attained outstanding business achievement and exemplifies the significant contributions made by women-owned businesses in the country. The 2022 award was awarded to Proda Technology, LLC.
Sponsors for the 2022 Small Businesses of the Year awards include Presenting Sponsors, LOUD Security Systems and S.A. White Oil Company; Businesses to Watch Sponsor, Comcast; Award Sponsor, Fifth Third Bank; Hall of Fame Sponsor, UGA Small Business Development Center at KSU; Platinum Sponsor, Three-13 Salon, Spa, and Boutique; Gold Sponsors, Puckett EMS, Eclipse Networks, Manay CPA, Inc., Yalo!, Play, LLC., and Gaskins + LeCraw; and Silver Sponsor, Cortavo by Aventis Systems. Sponsors for the 2022 Marquee Monday include Marquee Sponsor, Superior Plumbing; Host Sponsor, Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre; Catering Sponsor, Delaware North; Production Sponsor, Next Page Event Services; and Tables Sponsor, Amerevent.
