MANSFIELD, Ohio – Though they be but little, small business in Richland County are fierce. Their importance to the local economy was recognized and honored during the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce’s 18th annual Small Business of the Year awards.
Two local businesses stood out among the rest during Friday’s award ceremony: MHS Industrial Supply and Jones Potato Chip Co., who walked away with top honors. MHS Industrial Supply won for the category of 14 employees and under, while Jones Potato Chip Co. won for businesses with 15 employees and over.
The winners proved themselves to be prime examples of local small businesses. Rep. Mark Romanchuk described small businesses as the “backbone” of the economy in Richland County.
“Forty years ago our top 10 employers were medium-to-large sized companies, and today none of those companies are here,” said Romanchuk. “That makes small businesses even more important to our economy here in Richland County.”
MHS Industrial Supply and Jones Potato Chip Co. were two of six finalists for the 2015 Small Business of the Year award. Other finalists included Metronome Music, Inc., The Shealy Group, Hursh Drugs, Inc., and Sun Graphics & Heart of Ohio Magazine.
Jodie Perry, president of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, said the six finalists alone employ more than 130 local people and collect revenues in excess of $20 million. They also gives tens of thousands of dollars annually to support local charitable causes.
“Imagine that multiplied many times over and you start to get a feel for just how important our local small businesses are,” said Perry.
The six finalists were chosen from 59 total businesses nominated, and 21 selected semifinalists. In order to qualify for the Small Business of the Year award, businesses must be headquartered in Richland County, employee 250 or fewer full-time employees, be in operation for at least three years, have a sales revenue of less than $20 million, and demonstrate an active concern for the community.
Nominees were judged on employee practices, community involvement, customer service, entrepreneurship, and overall business performance. The two winners for 2015 will also be nominated to the national Small Business of the Year award through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The first winner of the afternoon, MHS Industrial Supply, was first incorporated 75 years ago in Mansfield. Recently \ir expanded into a 42,000 square-foot location on Sawyer Parkway. The awards committee was impressed with MHS Industrial Supply’s strong suite of benefits offered to employees, and the company’s consistent and strong growth in recent years.
“This business has seen consistent and strong financial growth in the past decade despite a challenging economy,” said Patty Ades of Mechanics Bank, a member of the awards committee. “They take good care of their employees, evidenced by the fact that their average employee tenure is over a decade. The business is actively involved in the community, as are their owners.”
Ann Downs, president of MHS Industrial Supply alongside her husband Phil, thanked their employees for their hard work in keeping the company going.
“I think one of the questions Phil and I get asked the most is, how do you work together and live together?” said Ann Downs. “It has its challenges, but we have such different personalities and we’ve been able to make it work over the year. It seems to be his strengths are my weaknesses and my strengths are his weaknesses, so we’ve made it work very well for us.”
Downs also thanked her fellow small business owners and community members sitting in the audience at the Holiday Inn banquet hall.
“All of you sitting here today really are what has driven us to the successes that we’ve had,” she said. “We feel we’re very blessed to be part of a community that supports their small and local businesses to the extent that this community does.”
The second business honored during Friday’s ceremony was Jones Potato Chip Co., which was originally founded in 1941 by Frederick Jones. Starting with a 1,000 square-foot facility, the company expanded several times and now operates in a 67,000 square-foot area processing 12 million pounds of potatoes per year.
“If you’ve lived in this community all your life, you grew up snacking on this businesses’ products,” said Neil Hamilton of Hamilton Insurance Group Inc., a member of the awards committee.
Hamilton shared the committee was impressed by Jones Potato Chip Co. taking advantage of new markets and lines of business by diversifying their product offerings during challenging economic times.
“The founder was famous for saying, ‘Every bag counts,’ and they have shown a strong entrepreneurial spirit for several generations,” said Hamilton. “They are not only an industry leader but a model for businesses in our area.”
Bob Jones, president of Jones Potato Chip Co., thanked his family members present on Friday, all of whom either currently work for the company or have in the past.
“I’ve got great employees who are very dedicated,” said Jones. “It’s an honor to receive this, there’s a lot of people that made this happen.”
