2025 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
NOMINATIONS OPEN: JUNE 11 - JULY 9
ROBERT R. CHURCH, SR.
ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
ABOUT THE AWARDS
The 2025 Robert R. Church, Sr. Achievement Awards recognize excellence in business leadership, strategic partnerships, and economic advancement. These awards honor organizations and small businesses that are creating real impact through smart growth strategies, expanded access to opportunities, and a strong commitment to building thriving communities and business ecosystems
Whether it’s a rising leader, a standout business, or a highperforming procurement team, this is your chance to celebrate their success Submit your nominations and help shine a light on those making powerful moves in business and community advancement.
THE GREAT BEGINNINGS AWARD
The Great Beginnings Award honors an organization that launched and successfully implemented a new strategic initiative between 2023 and 2025 to enhance operations, increase capacity, or position the company for long-term growth Whether introducing a new line of business, expanding into a new market, or reengineering internal systems, this award recognizes the intentional groundwork laid for future success.
This award is designed to spotlight strong beginnings not of the company itself, but of a transformational effort that marks a new chapter in the organization’s journey. Nominees should demonstrate:
A Defined Launch or Initiative: A new project, program, expansion, or operational shift initiated between 2023 and 2025
Purposeful Planning: A clear strategy or rationale behind the effort, supported by leadership and internal alignment
Early Impact: Tangible progress, early outcomes, or milestones achieved as a result of the Celebrating bold initiatives, smart planning, and strong starts that signal future success.
RISING STAR AWARD
Recognizing emerging leaders shaping the future of business growth.
The Rising Star Award honors an individual with five years or less in their current role or organization who has demonstrated exceptional promise, energy, and impact in expanding opportunities for small businesses These rising professionals are proactive, mission-driven, and already delivering measurable results.
This award celebrates those who lead from within—driving initiatives, influencing teams, and helping shape a more vibrant business ecosystem
Nominees should demonstrate:
Early Impact: Evidence of meaningful contributions within the first five years of their role
Leadership in Action: Taking initiative to advance business access, partnerships, or innovation
Commitment to Growth: Advocating for and supporting small business development inside or outside their organization
Future Potential: Indicators of continued influence and upward trajectory
CLICK HERE to complete and submit your nomination.
ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT (E2) AWARD
Recognizing operational teams that expand opportunity through strategic sourcing.
The Economic Engagement (E2) Award honors an organization whose procurement or sourcing department has developed and implemented well-structured, goal-oriented initiatives that promote meaningful engagement with small businesses.
This award celebrates operational excellence in supplier outreach, relationship-building, and systems that create consistent business opportunities for qualified vendors.
Nominees should demonstrate:
Intentional Strategy: Documented policies or initiatives designed to work with small business suppliers
Process and Accountability: Clear sourcing practices, tracking systems, and performance goals
Access and Opportunity: Demonstrated effort to include new suppliers and expand the vendor pool
Impactful Results: Evidence of contract awards, long-term partnerships, or increased d i h ll b i
CLICK HERE to complete and submit your nomination.
BUSINESS VANGUARD AWARD
FORMALLY TN MBDA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD
Honoring forward-moving enterprises redefining success through strategy, innovation, and impact.
The Business Vanguard Award recognizes a standout small business member of the MMBC Continuum that exemplifies leadership in growth, strategic execution, and market presence. This award celebrates businesses that are not only building strong enterprises, but also contributing meaningfully to the economic landscape through expansion, innovation, and opportunity creation
Nominees for this award are bold in action, intentional in planning, and positioned as leaders in their field trailblazers setting the pace for others to follow.
Nominees should demonstrate excellence in three or more of the following areas:
Revenue Growth: Sustained increases in annual revenue through smart expansion or diversification
Workforce Development: Creation of quality jobs and career opportunities through business growth
Market Reach: Expansion into new markets or customer segments (regional, national, or global)
Operational Innovation: Implementation of new technologies or processes that improve f
OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & RESILIENCE AWARD
FORMALLY QUALITY ASSURANCE M/WBE AWARD
Honoring small business enterprises that set a high bar in performance, innovation, and preparedness.
This award recognizes a small business enterprise that demonstrates outstanding operational leadership blending quality assurance with forward-looking practices to ensure sustainable, secure, and scalable business growth
Nominees must exhibit excellence in three or more of the following key areas:
Nominees should demonstrate excellence in three or more of the following areas:
Quality Control & Customer Satisfaction: Delivering consistent, high-performing products or services while exceeding customer expectations
Cybersecurity Readiness: Implementing strong data protection and risk management practices appropriate to their industry
Sustainability Strategy: Demonstrating a commitment to environmentally responsible operations, supply chains, or energy use
AI Integration: Using artificial intelligence or automation tools to improve accuracy, speed, or decision-making in operations
Business Continuity & Contingency Planning: Having clear systems in place to respond to disruptions and maintain service levels
Strategic Planning & Execution: Operating with a well-defined roadmap for growth, guided by
STRATEGIC GROWTH AWARD
FORMALLY SCALABLE M/WBE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Celebrating focused, measurable business expansion built on vision, execution, and results.
The Strategic Growth Award recognizes a small business member of the MMBC Continuum that has achieved significant growth through deliberate planning and strong business fundamentals. This award highlights companies that are scaling with intention growing revenue, expanding their teams, reaching new markets, and laying a solid foundation for long-term success.
Nominees for this award are not simply growing they are doing so with structure, foresight, and a clear path forward Their business decisions reflect a commitment to stability, customer value, and continuous improvement.
Nominees should demonstrate:
Revenue and Employment Growth: Quantifiable gains in sales and team size over the past 1–3 years
Defined Growth Strategy: Clear, intentional steps taken to expand operations, offerings, or market presence
Scalability: A business model and internal infrastructure capable of supporting continued growth
Operational Maturity: Systems, tools, or leadership practices that support sustainable
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Must be submitted online by July 9 at 11:59 pm
Entries will not be published to the public. Entries are open only to companies/organizations in the United States
Best Practices for Submitting Your Nominations:
Show proof of your achievements.
Include supportive information that proves you are making an impact
Grab the judge’s attention.
Thorough responses to each question will make your submission stand out Evidence of your results will drive the point home.
Tie your results to your goal/objectives.
Make sure that your outcome is cohesive and in correlation with your intended impact.
Read the criteria.
Be sure you hit every nail on the head by carefully reading each question and displaying in your answer that you fully understand what you are being asked
Start Early
This will ensure that you’re able to take your time and be as thorough and precise as possible
Judging:
Description of Judges
The Robert R. Church, Sr. Achievement Awards panel of judges is composed of a diverse selection of procurement professionals with extensive knowledge of purchasing and procurement. They aim to determine which organizations and small business owners demonstrate expertise and excellence in each award category.
Description of what they’ll judge
Each award category is centered around impact and innovation The judges are interested in determining the why behind each initiative. They want to know that your organization is going beyond checking a box. Is your impact measurable? Is each phase of implementation cohesive? Do these strategies align with the organization as a whole? These are a few of the ideas that will assist the judges in determining how well each organization walks its talk.
Number of Finalists
For each award category, there will be 3 finalists.
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