Local business a finalist for Alabama Small Business of the Year award

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 12/14/16

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Long-time Robertsdale business Furniture City was recently recognized as a finalist for a 2016 Alabama Small Business of the Year award.

The annual awards were presented …

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Local business a finalist for Alabama Small Business of the Year award

Joe Kitchens, right, and son Jonathan of Furniture City display their award as a finalist for the 2016 Alabama Small Business of the Year (one to 10 employees).
Joe Kitchens, right, and son Jonathan of Furniture City display their award as a finalist for the 2016 Alabama Small Business of the Year (one to 10 employees).
JOHN UNDERWOOD / GCM STAFF PHOTO
Posted

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Long-time Robertsdale business Furniture City was recently recognized as a finalist for a 2016 Alabama Small Business of the Year award.

The annual awards were presented by the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama and the Business Council of Alabama, held in conjunction with the 2016 Annual Meeting Dec. 2 at the Harbert Center in Birmingham.

Awards were presented in four categories: Emerging in Business (in business for less than five years), Small Business of the Year (one to 10 employees); Small Business of the Year (11 to 50 employees), and Small Business of the Year (51 to 100 employees).

“They have handed out awards in the past, but this is the first year it was broken up into categories,” said Gail Quezada, executive director of the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, which nominated Furniture City in the one-to-10-employee category. “They didn’t win, but just to be a finalist for this award is a great honor.”

King’s Olive Oil of Gadsden won the award for Small Business of the Year for the one-to-10-employee category. Only one other business from the Mobile area was nominated in the category, Karen C. Simmons PC of Mobile. B&B Pet Stop Inc. of Mobile was nominated in the Small Business, 11-to-15-employee category.

“We wanted to nominate a business who has a tradition of and continues to be a part of the community and the Chamber,” Quezada said, “and no one fits that category better than Furniture City.”

Nominees are considered based on several criteria, Quezada said, including: Leadership and Community Support; Chamber Involvement; Business Success and Overall Deservedness.

Raymond Fell Jr. started Furniture City in Robertsdale in 1961 and was a founding member of the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce in 1974. He served as chairman of the Chamber in 1977 and was named the Central Baldwin Man of the Year in 1989.

“I think the fact that he was a founding member of the Chamber in and of itself speaks volumes,” said Fell’s son-in-law, Joe Kitchens, who took over ownership of the business in 2001. “He was a firm believer in the commitment of the Chamber to the community and we have strived to carry on that commitment.”

Kitchens and his wife Brenda have been involved in the family business for 43 years. Kitchens has also been active in the Chamber throughout that time, serving on the Board of Directors, as chairman in 1981. He was named Central Baldwin’s Man of the Year in 2009.

Their son Jonathan, who has been employed with the business fulltime for the past 18 years, also serves on the Chamber Board of Directors, and will take his place as its chairman in 2017.

“Just to be nominated for this award is an honor,” Jonathan Kitchens said. “Being a part of the Chamber is an important part of being a part of the community for our entire family.”

For the Kitchens family, being a part of the community goes beyond being a part of the Chamber.

Joe Kitchens was recently elected to his eighth term on the Robertsdale City Council, where he currently serves as mayor pro-tem. He has served on the Robertsdale Planning Commission for 20 years and the Robertsdale Park, Street and Tree Committee for eight years.

He is a member of the Robertsdale Rotary Club and has been named a Paul Harris Fellow twice.

Jonathan Kitchens has served on both the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustments since 2009. They are also both active and serve in leadership roles for their respective churches.

“We just want to take this opportunity to thank the Chamber for nominating us and for being such a great part of this community,” Joe Kitchens said.