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By Brad McEwen

ALBANY — The Albany/Dougherty County business community will shine a spotlight on local businesses when the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce presents its annual Small Business of the Year awards at a special celebration slated for Thursday evening at Chehaw Park.

Each year the chamber recognizes all of the area’s small businesses during its weeklong Small Business Celebration, designed to showcase the varied businesses that are crucial for a healthy local economy, and the presentation of the awards serves as the highlight.

“Successful, thriving small businesses speak volumes about our business climate and about the level at which the community supports local products,” said Albany Area Chamber of Commerce interim President Barbara Rivera Holmes. “We’re excited about being able to host a celebration of our small businesses for an entire week.”

The week kicked off on Monday when the chamber named L. Clayton Smith Jr. PC, as the Star Business of the Week, and continues today with a Lunch and Learn event covering the importance of cyber security and digital success at the Albany Museum of Art.

Wednesday will feature the reading of a joint proclamation during which both the city and county governments will recognize small businesses and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for one of this year’s Small Business of the Year Award finalists, The Bread House and Granary, at its new location on Jefferson Street.

The week will culminate with the chamber’s Celebrate Small Business Cinco de Mayo Party from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Chehaw’s Education Center, where the organization will announce the Small Business of the Year Award winner, as well as the first and second runners-up.

Along with the Bread House and Granary, this year’s finalists for the award include Charlie’s Paint and Body, Southern Commercial Materials, Southern Point Staffing, The Royal Collection and Cycle World.

Those businesses are hoping to join last year’s second runner-up Artesian Contraction Co., first runner-up Hughey and Neuman Inc. and 2015 Small Business of the Year ComNet Technical Services Inc. as award winners.

Holmes said the presentation of the awards, as well as the other recognition local businesses are given through the Small Business Celebration week, serves to not only let the community’s small businesses know they are valued but to help promote them as well.

“Small Business Week is an opportunity for the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, and, really, the community in general, to show support for our small businesses, which are the backbone of our community,” said Holmes. “It’s important that we recognize small businesses who are getting it right on all fronts. They deserve recognition. Our community should be proud.”

The weeklong celebration and the Cinco de Mayo party also allow the chamber to remind the community about the Think Local campaign that was launched last year, which is geared toward educating the community about the impact of small businesses.

“The chamber has made (local business) its primary initiative, especially with the Think Local campaign, to promote not just the businesses that are here but to promote our consumers to first utilize their local businesses, their friends, their neighbors, as a shopping destination,” Holmes said. “The benefit in terms of the return to the community from an economic impact is significant.”

Tickets to Thursday’s event are available at a cost of $35 per person, or $280 for a table for 8. To make reservations, contact the chamber at (229) 434-8700 or via email at [email protected].

For more information about the Chamber and its member initiatives, visit www.albany.ga.com.