Chamber to honor small business

Small business is a big part of the Springfield area's economy. In order to honor the contributions of small business, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce began recognizing one small business each year with the Small Business of the Year Award.

This is the seventh year for the award, which began in 1992. The award was renamed the W. Curtis Strube Small Business of the Year Award in 1997 in honor of a Drury College professor of business who died in 1997 and was an advocate for small business. This year's recipient will be announced at a luncheon ceremony 12-1:30 p.m. June 4 at the Clarion Hotel. The award is announced each year during the Small Business Administration's Small Business Week. The Springfield Business Journal will profile each of the nine finalists for the award in the weeks prior to the announcement. The first two profiles appear in this week's issue.