SHELBY — Small Business of the Year finalists weren’t the only local leaders recognized Tuesday at the Kehoe Center.

In addition to having awarded KE McCartney & Associates and Bookwalter & Skulski Orthodontics Small Business of the Year Awardthe Richland Area Chamber presented the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award and the Nonprofit of the Year Award on Tuesday.

The Richland Area Chamber has been recognizing nonprofits at the Small Business of the Year Luncheon since 2018. This year, the winning Small Nonprofit of the Year is Ruby Women Group and the big non-profit winner is The Friendly House.

Art Allison Pence received the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. The artist discussed the growth of his business during Tuesday’s ceremony.

“What started as a hobby for me became something I had to make work,” she said of her beginnings as a muralist.

“I was stuck in a career in education that I wasn’t happy with, so I decided to take the plunge and pursue my passion of creating art.”

Since this leap of faith, Pence has created murals and public art in Mansfield’s alleys, on buildings, in store windows, businesses and more. This year she completed a mural for Walmart and the two largest murals in Richland County.

“I realized that the murals were really what lit my fire,” she said. “I was able to somehow carve out this little niche job of traveling all over Ohio doing what I love.

“To anyone with that entrepreneurial spirit, my two biggest pieces of advice are to follow your passion and face your fears. If you’re stuck somewhere and faced with a choice, more often than not, the scariest choice is the right one…on the other side, that’s where the magic lies.

Rubis women’s group

Rubies Founder and Executive Director Candace Cole thanked her volunteers and board members for their dedication to the faith-based recovery program for women exiting sex trafficking and/or addiction.

Cole remembers founding the organization with $5 in a bank account and an appeal to help women who shared her experiences.

“When I got out of prison, I didn’t have anywhere to go that was safe and really focused on healing,” she said. “Rubis is loving, caring, restorative and most people who volunteer or are employed at Rubies are also survivors. »

Rubies hosts up to six women at a time, helping them find their self-esteem and faith in God through group Bible studies and counseling. Rubies also provides housing, clothing, hygiene, food and transportation to its residents. Volunteers and staff are trained in compassionate, trauma-informed care.

“We helped them move from survival to recovery,” Cole said. “Rubis is above all the testimony of the women we serve. When it’s time for them to leave, it’s amazing how much they transform and the restoration that happens to their families.

The Friendly House

Friendly House Executive Director Terry Conard said his job is “not a job, it’s a lifestyle.”

The Friendly House — founded in 1913 as a settlement house to help immigrants — provides preschool and after-school support, summer camps, fitness programs and activities for seniors.

Conard said the community center serves thousands of people each year, from Richland County natives to Hidden Hollow campers from as far away as California.

“Our after-school program is one of our most important programs,” he said. “We collect primary school pupils from school on our own bus, take them to The Friendly House and ensure they receive a hot, nutritious meal.”

After-school students are divided into groups by age and gender and enjoy a different program each evening, ranging from gym activities and games to arts and crafts. Area nonprofits and businesses also collaborate to educate and provide resources to Friendly House students.

“For the most part, Friendly House is the same as when I was a kid,” Conard said.

“I am honored that Friendly House was able to be recognized by receiving this award when there are so many other agencies – non-profit and for-profit doing so much good work in this community.

“I just want to make sure that kids today can still get the same activities and care that I got when I was 6 years old and went to Hidden Hollow.”

Medical Mutual was the presenting sponsor of the 2024 Small Business of the Year awards and Mechanics Bank was the video sponsor.

Major sponsors included Alumni Roofing Co, DRM Productions Inc, OhioHealth Mansfield and Shelby hospitals, Park National Bank and Richland Source.

Nonprofit semifinalists included: Malabar Foundation, NAMI Richland County, The Ohio State Reformatory, Raemelton Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Richland Carrousel Park, Richland County Land Bank, Richland Outreach Center and Ultimate Veterans Adventures.

To learn more about the Small Business of the Year award finalists, visit the Richland Area Chamber website. YouTube And Facebook pages.