GHBC announces well-deserving award winners for 2020 as part of their 85th Anniversary
Founded in 1935, the Greater Houston Black Chamber (GHBC) is celebrating 85 years as the leading organization representing African American entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Greater Houston area, with a focus on advocacy, awareness and access, and success at championing increased minority participation on municipal and state contracts.
As part of their 85th anniversary celebration, GHBC held its 26th Annual Pinnacle Awards this past Saturday, October 24th, where several of Houston’s best and most promising Black-owned businesses received high honors.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event was hosted virtually, but the same energy and excitement resonated as the event was streamed live on the GHBC YouTube channel, as if there was a ballroom full of people helping celebrate the respective finalists and honorees.
Each year, five Pinnacle Awards and one Upstart Award are handed out to some of the most successful small businesses.
The GHBC selected ten businesses as finalists for the prestigious Pinnacle Award, which recognizes leading Black entrepreneurs for their success in business and their positive impact on the communities and industries they serve Greater Houston metropolitan area, as well as three finalists for the Upstart Award.
The 2020 Pinnacle Award finalists were: TNR Accounting, Total Wellness Assessment and Counseling, Mpulse Healthcare and Technology, Lucilles, Hillday Public Relations, BJackson Enterprises, LLC, Bright Learners Academy, J. Archer Insurance Group, LLC, Nuksy’s Fine Catering, Remax Legacy Living-Remax 1st Class. The 2020 Upstart Award finalists were: Optimize Health, Gingerbread School, and Office Pride Commercial Janitorial.
The 2020 Pinnacle Award and Upstart Award winners were:
- Pinnacle Award: Lucille’s
- Pinnacle Award: Nuksys’s Fine Catering
- Pinnacle Award: HillDay Public Relations
- Pinnacle Award: J. Archer Insurance Group
- Pinnacle Award: ReMax Legacy Living/ReMax 1st Class
- Upstart Award: The Gingerbread School
- This is the third year a Rising Star award was named, with the 2020 winner being:
- Rising Star Award: Total Wellness Assessment and Counseling
- In addition to these prestigious honors, the GHBC also honored several other businesses and individuals with community awards including:
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Robert F. Smith, Vista Equity Partners
- Excellence Award – James Harris, H-E-B
- Larry V. Green Advocate of the Year Award – Tamla Oates-Farney, Waste Management
- Mickey Leland Public Leadership Award – Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Judge
- Young Entrepreneur Award – Brice Everhart, Vallaire’s for Men
Niles Dillard of Superior Video Productions and Janette Hammond of CenterPoint Energy served as vice-chairs of the event, and Laurie Vignaud, president of Unity National Bank was the honorary chairperson. After the ceremony, the celebration continued with the “Drop the Beat” DJ Battle via Zoom, featuring several of Houston’s leading DJs.
For those who may have missed the celebration, the program will be rebroadcast on Quest Channel 55 in Houston on Thursday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7-8:30 p.m.
For more information on the GHBC, please visit their website at www.ghbcc.com.
Congratulations to all of the winners, honorees, finalists, along with the GHBC board and staff!
