BIRMINGHAM, AL – The Alabama Retail Association, in cooperation with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business, today recognized 13 retail businesses with operations in 48 Alabama cities and 12 other states as Retailers of the Year. Almost 70 nominations were submitted for the 2014 Retailer of the Year awards. These are the winners. The presentations were made at the Vestavia Country Club in Birmingham during the 2014 Retail Day Luncheon. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley presented the keynote address and signed a statewide proclamation declaring Sept. 23 as Alabama Retail Day. This marked the 15th presentation of the Retailer of the Year Awards since 1999.
RETAILERS OF THE YEAR
A panel of judges chose the Retailer of the Year finalists in four categories by Alabama annual sales volume: less than $1 million; $1 million to $5 million; $5 million to $20 million and more than $20 million. Bronze, silver and gold awards were presented in all categories. For the third year, the judges also selected an Emerging Retailer of the Year, an innovative and effective Alabama retailer who has been in business for at least two years, but less than five years.
Annual Sales Less Than $1 Million
- GOLD AWARD: Marco and Elan Morosini, owners of the Silvertron Café in Birmingham’s Forest Park community; nominated by Victor M. Brown, vice president of minority and small business development for the Birmingham Business Alliance.
- SILVER AWARD: Jan Jacks, owner of Dreamcakes Bakery in Birmingham; also nominated by Brown.
- BRONZE AWARD: Carla Hamilton, chief executive officer of Four Corners Gallery in Birmingham; nominated by Amanda Spencer, senior development officer for the Birmingham Museum of Art.
Annual Sales $1 Million to $5 Million
- GOLD AWARD: Carole Griffin, president and owner of Continental Bakery and Chez Lulu in Mountain Brook and Continental Bakery Downtown in Birmingham; nominated by Suzan Doidge, executive director, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.
- SILVER AWARD: Joe Richburg, owner and president of J.R.’s Lawnmower Shop in Opp; nominated by the shop’s secretary, Taylor Wilkerson.
- BRONZE AWARD: Dink and Suzanne Taylor, owners of Fleet Feet Sports in Huntsville; nominated by Ken Smith, director of research and information services for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.
Annual Sales $5 Million to $20 Million
- GOLD AWARD: Frederick W. “Ricky” Bromberg, president of Bromberg & Co. Inc. with stores in Birmingham and Mountain Brook; nominated by Bill Powell, executive director of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce; Doidge with the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce; and Brown with the Birmingham Business Alliance.
- SILVER AWARD: Betsy McAtee and the management team of Dreamland Holding Co. LLC with restaurants in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Northport and Tuscaloosa, Ala., as well as Norcross and Roswell, Ga.; nominated by Brown with the Birmingham Business Alliance and Patricia Ford, executive director of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce.
- BRONZE AWARD: David and Laura Darby, owners of Darby’s Village Pharmacy Inc. in Andalusia; nominated by Chrissie Duffy, executive director of the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce.
Annual Sales More Than $20 Million
- GOLD AWARD: Tracy Shields Jones, president, and George Jones, general manager, of Century Automotive Group in Huntsville; nominated by Smith of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.
- SILVER AWARD: Dave Quinn and Joe Blaszczak, former and current managers of the Publix Super Markets store in Vestavia Hills; nominated by Karen Odle, president of the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce.
- BRONZE AWARD: Ricky Brooks, president of Birmingham-based Express Oil Change and Tire Engineers with 216 locations in 13 states; nominated by Josh Henderson, senior vice president of marketing for Express Oil Change and Tire Engineers.
GEE Emerging Retailer of the Year
- Mike LeCroix, owner of The Orchard Apple Specialist in Gulf Shores; nominated by John Chamberlain, Retail and Business Service Council chairman for the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber.
“This was an exciting day for us,” said Rick Brown, president of the Alabama Retail Association. “It is an honor to be able to recognize such an outstanding group of retailers. Each retailer honored is a credit to the retail industry and its community.”
>> Previous Retailers of the Year
Media Contact: Nancy King Dennis | 334.551.0643 | 800.239.5423
Individual photos upon request
Names link to full news releases on each individual winner