PBN names winners of the 2010 Business Excellence Awards

By PBN Staff

PROVIDENCE – Providence Business News has selected five organizations and two individuals for their excellence, leadership and community involvement for its 10th annual Business Excellence Awards, one of the region’s longest-running and best-known business recognition programs.

Peter Arpin, executive vice president of Arpin Group Inc., is this year’s winner in the Business Leadership category for his work at his great-grandparents’ company. Arpin joined the moving and storage company in 1989 as a partner of Arpin International Group. During his tenure the company has expanded from a single, $5 million company to eight companies with more than $180 million in revenue.

Gary Furtado, president and CEO of Navigant Credit Union, was named a winner for Corporate Citizenship based on his participation in the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club, the Pawtucket Rotary Club and the Rhode Island Special Olympics, among many other nonprofit endeavors.

The five organizations to win BEA awards are:

• Blount Fine Foods for Overall Business Excellence for companies with more than 100 employees. Blount Fine Food has expanded its staff by 25 percent and sales from $59 million in 2007 to $95 million in 2010.

• Enviro-Clean for Overall Business Excellence for companies with fewer than 100 employees. Enviro-Clean began as a mold remediation service in 2002 and has grown to a full-service disaster recovery company. Its sales have grown 90 percent to $6.7 million over the past five years.

• Meeting Street for Excellence at a nonprofit organization. Meeting Street is a child development and education center that attracted $2.9 million in federal funding in the past year (after garnering none in the previous year, created 24 new jobs and grew revenue by 10.4 percent.

• PC Troubleshooters for Community Involvement. PBN recognizes the company’s various volunteer efforts to provide training and jobs for the unemployed.

• Designs By Lolita for Entrepreneurship. Lolita Healy first conceived of her painted glass company in 2000 and has grown the company’s product line to include lifestyle accessories, giftware and clothing. The company has a staff of 6 employees with branded sales of an estimated $72 million in 2010.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place Nov. 18th from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Providence Marriott on Orms St.

The 2010 Business Excellence Awards competition is presented by Bank Rhode Island, and it is produced in partnership with Bryant University; Cox Business; Koch Eye Associates; Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo P.C.; Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP; Tufts Health Plan; USI Insurance; and media sponsor AM 790.

To make a reservation for the event, CLICK HERE.