Top minority-, woman- and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses announced at MARKETPLACE conference Dec. 8
MADISON, WI. DEC. 9, 2020 – Wisconsin businesses received top honors in the 2020 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Awards competition, which recognizes outstanding businesses owned by minorities, women and service-disabled veterans.
Businesses were honored in three categories: the Outstanding Large and Small Business Awards, which recognize established businesses that have demonstrated the capacity to grow and have plans for continued expansion; and the Rising Star Award, which honors businesses established after 2016 that have demonstrated strong growth potential.
Governor Tony Evers and Missy Hughes, Secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), congratulated the winners at MARKETPLACE, the Governor’s Conference on Diverse Business Development.
“To meet the challenges ahead of us, we must recognize how important inclusion, equity and diversity are to a strong economy,” Governor Evers said. “These awards showcase the important contributions that minority-owned, women-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses make to our communities every day and how they are an important part of building an economy that works for all of us.”
All winners are Wisconsin-based companies certified as a minority business enterprise (MBE), woman-owned business enterprise (WBE) or service-disabled veteran business (SDVB).
The 2020 Outstanding Business Award winners are:
Large Business
- MBE: Hurt Electric Inc. – Menomonee Falls
- WBE: Premier Medical Staffing Services LLC – West Allis
- WBE: Security Officer Services Inc. – Milwaukee
- (There was no SDVB winner in this category.)
Small Business
- MBE: Cartridge Savers – Madison
- MBE: SPEARity – Milwaukee
- WBE: Reynolds Packaging LLC – Green Bay
- SDVB: Your Personal Gardener & Arborist – Mukwonago
Rising Star
- MBE: Volley Life LLC – Milwaukee
- WBE: Heather Hernandez Enterprises DBA Brothers Painting – Sheboygan
- SDVB: DK-39 Management and Consulting LLC – Middleton
The MARKETPLACE Outstanding Business Awards recognize Wisconsin businesses that show overall business excellence in sales growth, product innovation, employment and management. Those awards have two categories, one for businesses with more than 25 employees and one for small businesses with 25 or fewer employees. The Rising Star Awards recognize the achievements of businesses operating less than five years that have demonstrated strong growth potential.
The 2020 Legacy Award also had three winners: Amigo Construction LLC in Cambridge, B&D Contractors Inc. in New Berlin and Fair Oaks Farm in Pleasant Prairie. The Legacy Award is meant to recognize long-running companies on their efforts to impact their respective industries and communities as well as Wisconsin’s economy.
More than 80 nominations were received this year recognizing the achievements of Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and industries. Winners were announced Tuesday, Dec. 8, during MARKETPLACE. The event was held virtually with the support of 15 sponsors, including Keynote Sponsor U.S. Bank and Governor’s Award Sponsor the Milwaukee Business Journal.
