Michael Jacobs and Eric Zabilka, president and vice president of Omni Architects, accept the Legacy Award as Commerce Lexington's 2017 Small Business of the Year.
A sold-out crowd of 390 members of the business community attended Commerce Lexington’s annual Salute to Small Business Awards luncheon, presented by Forcht Bank, on Aug. 24.
The names of the eight category winners were released in July. A video overview of each winning business was presented during the luncheon at Keeneland Entertainment Center, and with dramatic awards ceremony style, the overall Small Business of the Year was announced. The award went to the winner of the Legacy Award category, Omni Architects.
Michael Jacobs and Eric Zabilka, president and vice president of the architectural firm, respectively, accepted the award and Jacobs gave an impromptu speech of thanks.
The Legacy Award category was introduced in 2010 to recognize companies that have been in business for 25 years or more. In addition to staying power, these small-business owners have weathered all manner of economic and market conditions over the decades. Omni Architects was founded in 1975 as Omni Associates; the name was changed a decade later. In the past 42 years, Omni Architects has worked on 900 projects in Central Kentucky totaling over one billion dollars in construction. With fewer than 20 employees.
According to UK’s Community & Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky, 93.7 percent of all businesses in Fayette County have fewer than 20 employees. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s definition of “small” is a bit larger. Independent businesses with up to 500 employees are considered small businesses. By that criterion, 99.7 percent of U.S. companies qualify as small business.
Commerce Lexington has presented small-business awards since 1986. This year’s other category winners were Bullhorn Creative (green initiative), Children’s Advocacy Center of the Bluegrass (nonprofit), GreenBox (business success), Impressions Marketing & Events (young entrepreneur), Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass (innovation), Lexington History Museum (phoenix) and Synergy Coach (minority business).