ATLANTA — Athens-based TSAV and the Savannah Bee Co. were among the six companies winning designation Monday as Small Business Rock Stars from the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Economic Developers Association.
They came in tops from 54 companies nominated from across the state and then scored by a panel of judges. Another seven companies received honorable mention, including Savannah-based Jody Jazz, a maker of custom mouthpieces for saxophone players.
“This is an opportunity to put a spotlight on Georgia’s small businesses and in particular, highlight some of our fastest growing small businesses through our new Small Business Rock Stars program,” said Economic Development Commissioner Chris Carr.
The companies can have no more than 100 employees, must demonstrate innovative marketing and have all used assistance from multiple state and federal agencies.
Ted Dennard, president of Savannah Bee, summed it up. “There’s a ton of people that have helped us along the way. It takes a hive,” he quipped.
For instance, the maker of honey-based gourmet and beauty products has tapped the department as well as Savannah Tech, Georgia Tech, the Savannah Career Center, the Georgia Logistics Center of Innovation, Export Georgia and the Small Business Administration, among others.
“Everything’s been free: the way I like it,” Dennard said. “All of these things have been underutilized by business in my opinion.”
And that’s the point of the award by showing off success stories. Savannah Bee has seen its honey sales rise 164 percent since 2012 and its health-and-beauty revenue by 545 percent in that period. Participation in a trade mission the department hosted opened the door to exports to China.
TSAV, which designs and installs audio-visual systems in universities and schools, has had a 200 percent increase in its projects just in 2014. Assistance from the various agencies has helped it begin exporting to Europe and the Middle East.
TSAV, or Technical Services Audio Visual, was nominated by Laura Katz of the Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia. She had bumped into TSAV President Pete Dugas and began explaining how her agency advises businesses like his, and he became a client.
Katz nominated TSAV to the Georgia Mentor Prot
égé Connection, which it graduated from in 2013, and she nominated it to the Rock Stars award this year partly because of its public service.
“He has very strongly given back to the community,” she said, such as equipping the University of Georgia music program.
Dugas missed the luncheon at Georgia Tech because he was out getting more business for his 60 employees. In a room full of economic-development professionals, everyone seemed to understand his choosing a major business prospect over appearing before an audience unlikely to place a single order from him.
The luncheon had to be rescheduled after a winter storm forced the cancellation on the original date last month.
Other winners included Guardian Centers (Houston County), Water Shadow Enterprises LLC (Fulton County), Aventure Aviation (Fayette County) and Madjax (Grady County).