Another year, another group of famers

Westchester County is home to hundreds of great businesses and year after year The Business Council of Westchester continues to honor the best of the best as Hall of Fame award winners.

This year's honorees include MasterCard Worldwide, the Corporate Citizenship Award winner; Curtis Instruments,

The winners will be inducted into The Business Council of Westchester's Hall of Fame at an awards dinner at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle April 18.

This is the sixth year that the Hall of Fame awards have been honoring area businesses, said Patricia K. Nicolais, director of membership and special events for the council.

"The first Hall of Fame awards were given out in April 2002," Nicolais said. "One of our board members, Dan Tierno (a Heineken spokesman), had noticed, in an airport that he was traveling through, a business Hall of Fame plaque and he thought it was a really good idea."

In the years following its inception, the Hall of Fame program continues to grow in popularity, Nicolais said. "I'd say between 75 and 80 businesses applied (this year)."

AWARD CRITERIA

Broken down by award, the following criteria need to be met in order to be considered for the Hall of Fame awards:

* Corporate' Citizenship Award: Fosters economic opportunity, cultivates collaborations and partnerships to better the Westchester community, facilitates community involvement in own organization and a contribution and commitment to the community.

* Entrepreneurial Success Award: Growth in its number of employees and an increase in its annual sales, as well as the innovativeness of its product or service and a contribution and commitment to the community.

* Small Business Success Award: Substantiated history as an established business with a trend of increased annual sales and shows creativity and an ability to respond to a dynamic economic. environment, as well as a contribution and commitment to the community.

* Family Business Success Award: Exhibits positive multigenerational family business involvement, demonstrates effective business strategy and a contribution and commitment to the community.

* Women in Business Success Award: Demonstrates leadership as a business owner or an executive in a corporation, an indication of increased business results through effective management.

Winning a Hall of Fame award has a tremendous impact on a business, said Charlie Brown, president of C.W. Brown Inc., a general contracting and construction management company in Thornwood, which won the Small Business Success Award in 2004.

"(Winning) gave us a lot of exposure to more clients ... because they had heard about it. It helped us to increase our client base right here in the county. I think people saw the articles in the paper and the company name became more evident in the industry to customers who didn't know us," Brown said. "I think it made it that much easier to get doors opened up because people wanted to know more about us. It was just a tremendous honor to be compared to so many wonderful companies here in Westchester County and to be given the award."

Being named a Hall of Fame award recipient also has a positive effect on a company's employees, said Stewart Strauss, president of Strauss Paper Company in Port Chester, which won the Family Business Award in 2003.

"It was great for our business. It gave our employee morale a boost because it let them know that they're working for one of the best family businesses in Westchester County. (Winning) gave them a great feeling and created positive morale within the company. For our family members, it was a great honor also."

Similar to C.W. Brown Inc., Strauss Paper experienced an increase in business as a result of the award and the media coverage that followed.

"Our business has been growing leaps and bounds. This has been a tremendous help. It gives you a lot of credibility within the business world to win something like this. We still use (our cover story) today," Strauss said. "It really has helped us grow tremendously. (Winning) got me really involved in The Business Council of Westchester and I think it helps everyone from the individuals in the council to all businesses in the county. It was a great honor."