CMIT Solutions of Fayette/Coweta was named the Overall Winner of the Newnan-Coweta Chamber’s 2017 Small Business of the Year Awards, which were presented by SouthTowne Motors and UBS Financial Services, Inc., on October 4, 2017 at The Newnan Centre. Category winners this year included Entrepreneur Category, Renee Horton American Family Insurance; Growth Category, Stirling Promotions; and Employer Category, Georgia Academy of Dance and the Performing Arts. The other Top 10 Finalists this year included Benton House of Newnan, Dirt1x, Fine Lines Art & Framing, Monster Tree Service, Peachtree City Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Senoia Law Office.

“It’s been a journey,” Doug Bates of CMIT Solutions said in accepting his award. He said that his company started with nothing but has been blessed in its work.

Guest emcee for the awards luncheon was Monica Kaufman Pearson, former WSB-TV news anchor. She praised small businesses and noted that they are different from other businesses because “they know your name” and also let customers know that their business is valued. Pearson conducted a “Close-up” style interview with Steve Mader of SouthTowne Motors and Ginger Queener and Kiki Williams of UBS Financial Services. Mader commended small business owners for their hard work, noting that it often requires many hours away from their families. Queener said that small businesses provide “a sense of community” and are drivers of the American economy.

The 2017 Honorable Mention Award Winners are Popped! Gourmet Popcorn and Fun Treats, 15 Perry Street Newnan’s Workspace, Blue Fern Merchant, Hair Looms, ORPA Consulting, LLC, Footpaths Aromatic Reflexology, Goldens on the Square, Aquanaut Plumbing, 85 South Out and About, and ValueMax Car Rental.

Small Business is big business in Coweta County and nationwide. Nearly 97 percent of all businesses employ fewer than 100 employees, and these establishments account for 54 percent of the workforce.  Small business accounts for two-thirds of job growth, and small businesses are key contributors to a growing and prosperous economy.