2025 RRC Nomination Guide

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

Celebrating bold initiatives, smart planning, and strong starts that signal future success.

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 initiative Growth Potential: Evidence that the initiative is positioned to deliver long-term results or strategic advantage Eligibility Requirement: Open to corporations and small business enterprises.

CLICK HERE to complete and submit your nomination.

2024 Winner: Pete Mitchell & Associates

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 Eligibility Requirement: Open to corporations. Self-nominations are welcome.

CLICK HERE to complete and submit your nomination.

2024 Winner: Tamara Pate - Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division

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 spend with small businesses Eligibility Requirement: Open to corporations and small business enterprises.

CLICK HERE to complete and submit your nomination.

2024 Winner: Walbridge

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 performance Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations that have amplified business capacity or customer access Community Engagement: Evidence of contributing to local or regional business ecosystems Eligibility Requirement: Nominee must be a small business member of the MMBC Continuum prior to May 1, 2025.

2024 Winner: ACTION Janitorial Paper Safety

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 measurable objectives and proactive problem-solving

Eligibility Requirement: Nominee must be a small business member of the MMBC Continuum prior to May 1, 2025.

2024 Winner: Unistar-Sparco Computers, Inc.

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 performance Track Record of Execution: Evidence of hitting key milestones or achieving measurable business goals Eligibility Requirement: Nominee must be a small business member of the MMBC Continuum prior to May 1, 2025.

2024 Winner: Campbell & Ford Construction, Inc.

2024 AWARDS OF DISTINCTION Corporation of the Year Turner Construction Company

Advocate of the Year Sean Norris Truist

Chairman’s Award Walbridge

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.

2025 SPONSORSHIP LEVELS

Visionary Champion - $7,500 Seating for 10 in Private VIP Section at Award Ceremony Complimentary Drinks and Hors d'oeuvres Served

by Conceriege Access to Networking Hour Activities, Including: Wine Pull Photo Booth Raffle Live Entertainment Logo on all event promotions and onsite signage

Empowerment Partner - $5,000 Seating for 8 in Private VIP Section at Award Ceremony Access to Networking Hour Activities, Including: Wine Pull Photo Booth Raffle Live Entertainment Logo on some onsite signage

Community Builder- $3,000 Table for 5 at Award Ceremony Access to Networking Hour Activities, Including: Wine Pull Photo Booth Raffle Live Entertainment Logo on some onsite signage

Thank You Thank you for your interest in submitting a nomination for the Robert R. Church, Sr. Achievement Awards, a signature event of the 2025 Economic Development Forum.

For questions about the nomination process or to inquire about the awards gala and 2025 Economic Development Forum sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Sponsorship Inquiries Brittney Gaines 901-525-6512 bgaines@mmbc-memphis.org Nomination Support Brittney Elkins 901-525-6512 belkins@mmbc-memphis.org We appreciate your commitment to honoring those who are shaping the future of business and economic development.

The MMBC Continuum | EDF@mmbc-memphis.org | 901-525-6512 | mmbc-memphis.org