Volume One Wins Eau Claire Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award
Tom Giffey, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
Tuesday was a big day for Volume One staffers – we were named Small Business of the Year (in the 1-25 Employees category) at the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting. We're proud to have been chosen for this award from amongst hundreds of great small businesses in the area.
It’s safe to say, however, that when the first issue of Volume One rolled off the press 14 years ago, it would have been unimaginable that we would win an award like this. It also would have been unimaginable that the magazine would be going strong after more than 300 issues; that we would have a whole retail store, art gallery, and event space housed in our very own World Headquarters; that we would be publishing another magazine, Chippewa Valley Family; or that we would have started community events such as the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series, which soon will kick off its 11th season.
So a big “thank you” is in order to the Chamber of Commerce for choosing us for this honor. But the biggest thanks goes to all of you, the tens of thousands of Chippewa Vallians who pick up a copy of the magazine every two weeks, who interact with us online, who shop in our store, or who take part in the events we coordinate. We are truly grateful for your support and the endless enthusiasm you share for our community. And of course, we need to thank the countless local businesses who've supported us all along through their advertisements and sponsorships.
Every year, The Chamber gives out two Small Business of the Year awards, and this year the larger division award (26-150 employees) went to Royal Construction. Royal is an Eau Claire-based construction firm that’s been building in our community for more than half a century. The awards, sponsored by Charter Bank and Wipfli, are based upon a list of criteria that includes “staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales and/or unit volume, financial success, entrepreneurship, innovativeness of product or service, offered response to adversity, community involvement, and innovative efforts shown in area of local or national interest.”
Check out the Chamber of Commerce website for a full list of winners in other categories, including Volunteer of the Year, Young Professional of the Year, and Public Employee of the Year.
