Reflective of Gwinnett and metro Atlanta, the Gwinnett Chamber honored more than 100 finalist organizations, across 10 industry sectors, at the IMPACT Regional Business Awards on Wednesday, May 8. Presented by Eastside Medical Center and Renasant Bank, and held at the Infinite Energy Forum, the awards luncheon recognized leading organizations in critical industries that are driving economic development and job creation, while enhancing our quality of life.

“These organizations’ contributions greatly enrich our entire community. It is exciting to share their success, and we are honored to recognize them,” said Dr. Dan Kaufman, president & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber.

Architecture, Engineering and Construction Award Winner Jacobs also received the 2019 Overall IMPACT Regional Business Award. This company has a global vision with a local focus, with more than 230 offices all over the world, and many projects delivered in both Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta. It employs 77,000 globally, with 500 professionals located in the region. Founded in 1947, its focus on building long-term client relationships has helped it become one of the largest and most diverse companies in the industry. It is the #1 Design Firm in Georgia, as rated by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and the #1 Global Design Firm, as rated by Engineering News-Record.

Other winners included:

• Education Award: University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus With a motto to teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things, this institution provides graduate, professional, and continuing education programs, along with training opportunities for employees of local businesses, governments, and industries of the metro Atlanta region from its Gwinnett campus. In recent years, new graduate programs have been introduced to meet the community’s needs, such as: the Masters’ in Industrial-Organizational Psychology Program and the Doctor of Public Health program. It has more than 500 working adults in graduate professional programs each year. In 2018, it welcomed approximately 9,000 to campus for non-degree-granting professional development, certifications and educational events.

• Healthcare Award: Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Departments As the area’s public health department, this organization impacts every person in our community through the provision of medical and preventive services, protecting health and safety through regulatory activities, planning and responding to emergencies and threats, and preventing and controlling the spread of diseases. Services provided include child and adult immunizations, school screenings, cancer screenings, travel vaccinations and family planning, among many others. Its epidemiology program monitors infections and outbreaks of more than 70 different illnesses, like tuberculosis. Its environmental health sector ensures the health of Gwinnett County residents and visitors through the regulation of restaurants and school cafeterias, hotels/motels, community pools, body art establishments and septic systems. A recognized industry leader, it is nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and is one of only five jurisdictions in the nation to meet all nine standards of the FDA’s Food Safety Standards.

• Hospitality Award: City of Lawrenceville The heart of Gwinnett, this community exudes hospitality. Rich with arts and culture, exciting entertainment options and awesome eateries, visitors and residents alike have unique offerings. Forward-looking, but not forgetting where it all began, history is still alive throughout its downtown. Incorporated in 1821, it is the second oldest city in metro Atlanta and is primed for progression. It is responsible for the creation the of zoning that brought the first brewery to Gwinnett. Its 2040 Comprehensive Plan will feature the creation of Bicentennial Plaza and the completion of its South Lawn project. It already brings thousands to Gwinnett by way of its events that are hosted on the lawn and we can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon as development continues in this great city.

• Information Technology: M3 Built by hoteliers, exclusively for hoteliers, this business offers a powerful cloud-based accounting software solution for the industry that drives cost savings, revenue enhancement and business insight. Used by management groups and hotels of all sizes, the platform works seamlessly with other key systems and tools. It has been in business for 20 years, without increasing prices, and touts a 95% customer retention rate, without contracts. With more than 12,000 users, it is providing support to 5,500 individual hotels across the U.S. Over the next 10 years, it will hire 300 new employees that will work in its Gwinnett County headquarters. Going global, the company will expand its footprint overseas to Europe, Latin and South America.

• International Award: Boplan USA This company offers a line of flexible guardrail and has been re-shaping industrial safety worldwide for close to 20 years. When it first began its operations, it had zero customers. Convincing large companies that its innovative flexible guardrails are in fact stronger than the traditional steel systems, and at a better price point, was very difficult at first. It got off the ground grass-roots style, building relationships at trade shows one client at a time. Now, with more than 400 customers, such as Amazon, BMW, Nestle, Papa Johns and WalMart, word of mouth has become one of its major growth drivers. It provides products all over the world, exporting 85% of its sales to nearly 60 countries.

• Nonprofit Award: Street Grace This organization is a preeminent leader in the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children through protection, prevention, policy and pursuit. This organization has developed new methods to disrupt the supply and demand chain. Its key programs include the Youth Education Initiative, which educates and equips youth with the knowledge needed to protect themselves from falling victim to the tactics used by those seeking to exploit them; the Transaction Intercept program, which intercepts attempted transactions from buyers through innovative technology and deters demand while capturing data; and through the Demand an End program, a national campaign where city personnel are trained to recognize and report suspected cases of sex trafficking. In 2018, this organization’s programs reached more than 86,000 individuals. The national Demand an End campaign reaches millions more across the country. Its Transaction Intercept initiative is currently in 12 major cities in eight different states and its Demand an End Campaign is currently active in 14 states with several in process.

• Service Industry Award: Georgia Power Value, reliability, service and stewardship — these are the four tenets of this organization’s promise to its customers. It works to be the best in energy generation, transmission and distribution. It is the largest operating company within Southern Company and has been providing electricity to Georgia for more than a century. Its goal is to provide outstanding customer service, while providing power for prices well below the national average. As a result, in 2018, J.D. Power ranked it number one in residential customer satisfaction. Invested in the communities it serves, it has been as major player in the recruitment and retention of business in Georgia. This commitment is embodied by its statewide recruitment team, and its local team, which provides outstanding support to community and economic development organizations such as Partnership Gwinnett. Civically engaged, over the past 5 years, its foundation has granted $17 million to organizations and initiatives.

• Small Business Award: Winton Machine Company Even though this company is a small manufacturer, it has made a large economic impact. For the past 22 years, it has designed and manufactured over 100 different machines which bend, cut and shape metal tubing and semi-rigid coax cable. Its machines can be found in manufacturing facilities throughout the world who are producing HVAC. It also serves the agricultural, construction, electronics, medical, and military industries—among others. A core value of this company is to help others. It recognizes the importance of STEM internships and apprenticeship programs and employs and develops local high school and college students. It has mentored more than 40 students to date. In addition, to making a difference on the local front, it was honored to serve as the Georgia representative at the 2018 Made in America Product Showcase event held at White House.