Chamber names Small Business Award finalists

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce this morning released the names of the five finalists for its 2014 W. Curtis Strube Small Business Award.

The finalists are:

• Everything Kitchens LLC, an online seller of kitchenware and appliances with 25 full-time employees led by founder and CEO Emily Church;
• Paragon Architecture Inc., a Springfield architecture firm with nine employees led by President and CEO Brad Erwin;
• People Centric Consulting Group, an eight-employee firm led by co-founders Randy Mayes and Don Harkey that provides organizational consulting to help clients improve communication and engagement skills;
• The App Pros LLC, a software and mobile app development company, which employs three and is led by CEO Jody Chaffin; and
• The Greek Corner, a custom screen-printing and embroidery shop led by owner and President Jason Parke with eight employees.

The award will be presented to the top company during the chamber's annual awards luncheon May 7. Scored by an independent panel of judges based on written applications, the small-business award takes into account company history, business or management philosophies, responses to challenges, innovative products or services and community-oriented contributions, according to a news release.

Last year, the award went to Branson-based Connell Insurance Inc.