June 6, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: William Burns, Director of Communications
(410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858

Maryland Chamber Announces Small
Business of the Year Award Winners

Baltimore, MD (June 6, 2008) - The Maryland Chamber of Commerce today presented its 2008 Small Business of the Year Awards during its annual Small Business of the Year Awards Luncheon at the Hilton Baltimore BWI Airport Hotel. The awards program is designed to recognize the dedication, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by small businesses in Maryland.

“Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy and the fabric of our communities,” said Maryland Chamber Chairman Betty Buck, President of Buck Distributing Co., Inc. “The Maryland Chamber salutes this year’s Small Business of the Year Award winners for providing jobs, achieving business success and demonstrating a strong commitment to community service.”

This year’s winners are:

Small Business of the Year – 1-5 Employees
impactHR is a woman and minority owned human resources consulting company that has experienced significant growth in a short period of time. The company has earned its outstanding reputation by developing customized HR solutions that help its clients improve business performance and grow their bottom line. impactHR continues to grow by listening to their clients and incorporating innovative solutions to make employee management more efficient and effective. Its nomination was supported by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

Small Business of the Year – 6-50 Employees
Choptank Transport, a third-party logistics provider located in Caroline County, began in 1999 as a one-truck operation. Today, Choptank utilizes its fleet of trucks and brokerage capabilities to ensure its clients receive the goods they need in a timely efficient manner. Since its founding, Choptank has demonstrated a commitment to customer satisfaction. This focus has led the company to tremendous growth and increased profitability – including a 35 percent growth rate in each of the last three years. Choptank effectively managed this growth by investing in the latest technology and supporting its employees with training programs and incentives. Choptank Transport’s nomination was supported by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

Small Business of the Year – 51-200 Employees
After scoring nine outstanding nominees based on 5 criteria, the judges were so impressed with both MEDEX Global Group and Specialized Engineering that they awarded a tie.

MEDEX Global Group has been assisting travelers with medical and security emergencies for more than 30 years. It provides international travel, security and medical support for corporations, government, humanitarian organizations, and leisure travelers. As the number of Americans traveling abroad has increased over the past decade, MEDEX has anticipated the needs of international organizations and travelers and developed innovative services to fulfill these needs. In the past two years, MEDEX has experienced explosive growth in the number of travelers covered by its services. Customer retention and customer satisfaction rates are both above 95 percent. Poised for additional growth, Baltimore-based MEDEX has opened offices in England and China. MEDEX Global Group’s nomination was supported by the World Trade Center Institute.

Specialized Engineering provides engineering consulting services to private, public and quasi-public clients. The company has experienced an average of 20 percent annual growth since its inception. Throughout its history, nearly 85 percent of its contracts have been procured through repeat business or client referral. As the company grew, Specialized Engineering expanded its core services dramatically to meet the needs of its customers. Company President Dave Wiegand credited the company’s continued growth to its high quality staff. In 2004, Specialized Engineering became one of only 172 employee owned ESOP companies in the State of Maryland. Specialized Engineering’s nomination was supported by the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce.

Partner in Business Award: (Non-Profits Only)
Maryland Works is a non-profit membership association that advances employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Through its programs, Maryland works provides workforce training for individuals with disabilities. The organization also works to advance hiring incentives, in the form of tax credits, for employers who hire individuals with disabilities. Earlier this year, Maryland Works held its first annual Employment Awards Ceremony. One of the goals of this new program is to honor employers that have demonstrated a significant commitment to hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities. The event will also help to raise awareness that there is still more to be done to get individuals with disabilities into the workforce. Maryland Works’ nomination was supported by the Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce.

In all, there were 27 companies nominated. Nominees for the awards program 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 awards program was comprised of representatives of Maryland's business media, including the Baltimore Business Journal, the Daily Record, the Gazette of Politics & Business and Baltimore SmartCEO magazine. Criteria upon which the nominees were judged included performance, growth, innovation, creativity, competitiveness, community involvement and more.

This was the awards program’s seventh year. Previous winners include Howard Bank, Advance Business Systems, Strategic Management Partners, HarVest Bank of Maryland, Millennium Marketing Solutions, Colosseum Gym & Personal Training, Correct RX Pharmacy Services, British & American Auto Care, and many others.

About the Maryland Chamber
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit coalition of 860 businesses who employ more than 442,000 people in the state. Its mission is to maximize opportunities for its members and their employees to grow and prosper. For more information about the Chamber, visit its website, www.mdchamber.org or call (410) 269-0642 or (301) 261-2858.

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