The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for its 2012 Small Business of the Year Awards. Nominate your business, or another deserving business, today. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, March 30.
The finalists and winners will be recognized during the Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon on Thursday, June 7 at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve. Charm City Cakes founder and Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman will be the event’s keynote speaker.
The Awards program recognizes the dedication, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by Maryland’s small businesses. Nominations are being accepted in five categories:
- Small Business of the Year (1-10 Employees)
- Small Business of the Year (11-50 Employees)
- Small Business of the Year (51-200 Employees)
- Nonprofit Partner in Business Award
- Partner in Business Award – Large Business
Nominees must be a member of the state or a local chamber of commerce, have a permanent business location with employee(s) in Maryland, and have been in operation for a minimum of two years. The judging panel for the Small Business of the Year Awards program is comprised of representatives from Maryland’s business media.
For more information and to download the nomination forms, click here. If you have any questions, contact Greg Buckler at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or gbuckler@mdchamber.org.
Duff Goldman
Charm City Cakes founder and Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman will keynote the Maryland Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon on Thursday, June 7, at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover.
Inspired by his work with a number of notable chefs in California, Colorado, and Washington, DC, Duff’s entrepreneurial sprit took him back to Baltimore in 2000, where he finally realized his dream and opened Charm City Cakes… in his apartment. He wasn’t there for long, and as word of mouth spread, he moved into a small bakery and then an even bigger location, an old church he retrofitted into his current modern bakery, a converted church in the Remington area of Baltimore.
His out-of-the-ordinary team is known for producing highly creative cakes that range from Star Wars characters and vehicles, to a replica of the Stanley Cup, to a working life-size motorcycle, a Hogwarts Castle for Warner Bros and more. Following several appearances on its cake competition Challenge series, in 2006, Food Network tapped Chef Duff and his fellow cake baking artists at Charm City Cakes to star in Ace of Cakes. Four years, and nine seasons later, the show is still wildly popular.
Mark June 7 on your calendar and be sure to join us to hear Duff’s entrepreneurial story. Event details will be available soon.
The Maryland Chamber’s Business Development Council will continue its series of BDC On the Road meetings on Wednesday, January 25, at 8:30 a.m., when the Council meets with Kelly & Associates Insurance Group.
BDC On the Road is a series of small group meetings to provide senior executives from small and minority owned businesses the opportunity to network with some of the region’s top leaders. Learn more about their leadership styles and what makes them tick. The events also provide attendees the opportunity to learn how small and minority owned companies can compete for business with some of the state’s large and mid-sized companies and institutions.
If you are interested in attending, register online or contact Gail Lemke at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or glemke@mdchamber.org.
In addition to the January 25 meeting, upcoming BDC On the Road meetings include:
- February 16: with Giant’s Jamie Miller, Manager of Public Community Relations and James Sturgis Jr., Director of Supplier Diversity.
- March 22 with Under Armour’s Director of Strategic Procurement, Mark Gillen.
The Business Development Council is the Chamber’s committee that works to assist small, medium-size and minority-owned businesses to grow and prosper. Special thanks to Wells Fargo for serving as the 2012 sponsor of the Chamber’s small business program. If you’d like to attend an upcoming meeting or would like more information, contact Greg Buckler at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 or gbuckler@mdchamber.org.
Colleen McKenna
So, you’ve set up a profile on LinkedIn, added a few connections, and maybe uploaded a photo. Now what?
Join us on December 13 to learn more about optimizing your LinkedIn presence and using this B2B social media platform to initiate new business. The Maryland Chamber is partnering with Sales & Marketing Executives International (SMEI) to present a seminar on LinkedIn best practices featuring Colleen McKenna, Principal of Intero Advisory and a member of the Maryland Chamber. Colleen teaches business executives strategies to achieve business success using LinkedIn. Don’t miss this opportunity to:
- Learn how to search and initiate new business opportunities
- Incorporate LinkedIn’s new features
- Optimize your time with five LinkedIn To-Do’s in five minutes a day
- Join the right groups
The event will be held on December 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., at PSA Insurance and Financial Services in Hunt Valley. Chamber members can attend at the partner rate of $20 per person. This will be an outstanding opportunity to network with sales and marketing executives from throughout the Baltimore region and learn more productive using LinkedIn. Register online here.
