Southport Magazine

In the Fall of 2021, The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce accepted nominations for its annual business awards: Small Business of the Year, Small Business Customer Service of the Year and Non-Profit Organization of the Year. Once nominated, the qualifying business or non-profit was required to submit a nomination packet, which was then presented to April Scott, Director of Brunswick Community College Small Business Center for her review and recommendations.

The Chamber had the honor of making the presentations to the following businesses:

Small Business of the Year

2021 Small Business of the Year is Oak Island Accommodations. “OIA has shown growth and economic impact year after year. They have remained focused on their concept…the customers, regardless of the situations out of their control. As they said so very well, they took lemons and made not only lemonade but lemon pound cake, lemon ice cream and lemon candy. This was all possible with dedicated, well-trained staff” said April Scott, BCC Small Business Center.

Customer Service of the Year

2021 Small Business Customer Service of the Year is Cape Fear Fitness. “They go over and beyond for their customers, who they define as the community and their staff who they call family. Cape Fear Fitness has grown into a larger space and as a thank you to their customers and community they raise money for local groups and offer prizes within the community. They have a great understanding that by having happy, well-trained staff they help the business have happy returning customers.” explained April Scott, BCC SBC, about the company.

Non-Profit of the Year

The 2021 Non-Profit of the Year is Brunswick Community College Foundation. Jeffrey Stites, Vice President Business Development for the Chamber, and Ashley Park, Chair of the Awards Committee, made this selection based upon a criterion which included excelling in meeting the needs of those they serve and economic impact of the organization. Brunswick Community College has a long tradition of providing quality educational opportunities for its students which allow their students to contribute to the growth and development of Brunswick County. Scholarships available through The BCC Foundation enable the College to meet a number of diverse needs to bridge the financial gap that makes college an affordable option for their students. The impact of the Foundation is evident in the words of scholarship recipient, Matthew, who writes, “…Nobody in my family went to college, nor did they believe that a degree would help anybody evolve all that much in their lives….I have found stability and direction in my life again because of this institution, and I wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for the support of people like you.”