Copper Cactus award recipients are announced | Business

The Tucson Metro Chamber announced the 13 award recipients of the prestigious Copper Cactus Awards:

Best Place to Work

• 1 to 30 employees: Goodmans Interior Structures
• 31 to 75 employees: Rosemont Copper
• 76 to 250 employees: O’Rielly Chevrolet

Business Growth

• 1 to 30 employees: TCI Wealth Advisors
• 31 to 75 employees: Synergy HomeCare
• 76 to 250 employees: Tattoo Manufacturing

Community Service

• 1 to 30 employees: Jonathan’s Cork
• 31 to 75 employees: PICOR Commercial Real Estate Services
• 76 to 250 employees: Golden Eagle Distributors, Inc.

Nextrio Innovation through Technology

• 1 to 30 employees: Darling Environmental & Surveying
• 31 to 75 employees: SynCardia Systems
• 76 to 250 employees: simpleview

Small Business Leader of the Year

• Dr. Bob Breault, Breault Research Organization

The Tucson Metro Chamber Copper Cactus Awards presented by Wells Fargo was held at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa on November 13 with more than 700 people in attendance.  50 finalists from more than 400 nominees were honored at the event.  In addition to Wells Fargo, the Tucson Metro Chamber Copper Cactus Awards were supported by co-sponsors Casino Del Sol Resort & Conference Center and Intuit.

“The largest producer of jobs and economic prosperity in our community, and throughout our nation, is small business.” said Bruce Dusenberry, Tucson Metro Chamber chairman of the board.  “The Tucson Metro Chamber is honored to host the Copper Cactus Awards to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of our business community.”

“At Wells Fargo, we know how important small business is to the health of our economy and to the nation’s economic recovery.” said John Gibson, Wells Fargo community banking president.  “Award winners are truly the best of the best and should be very proud of this wonderful achievement.”

Tucson Metro Chamber Copper Cactus Award winners were honored in five categories: 

• Best Place to Work
• Business Growth
• Community Service
• Nextrio Innovation through Technology
• Small Business Leader of the Year

To qualify for an award, a business must have 250 or fewer employees and be locally owned and operated, profitable and in operation more than two years. 

Judges for the 2012 Copper Cactus Awards were:

• Mark Dean, vice president of telesales and site leader, Intuit
• Michael Dunne, director of public relations, Cox Business
• Sharon B. Foltz, directory of community relations, UniSource Energy Services and Tucson Electric Power
• Joe Higgins, Sports Buzz Hair Cuts, Quality of Life Medical and KVOI Wake up Tucson
• Sherry Hoskinson, director of McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship and co-director for Business Law Exchange, The University of Arizona
• Wendell Long, CEO, Casino Del Sol Resort & Conference Center
• Jill Malick, business banking manager, Wells Fargo Bank