LEE ANN LIVESAY
STAFF WRITER / ALBANY HERALD
ALBANY — Copelan Insurance Agency Inc. was chosen Wednesday as the 2004
"Small Business of the Year" by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce.
"It's a great honor to receive the award," owner Bill Copelan said later
Wednesday. "I'm real proud to be a part of the community."
Copelan Insurance Agency was chosen from among five finalists, all of which were
recognized at the chamber's quarterly Rise 'N' Shine breakfast.
The other finalists were Central Monitoring Services Inc., Flint Office Furniture,
Merle Norman Cosmetics, and With Perfection Inc. Landscape Management.
Finalists were chosen based on membership in the chamber, their ability to overcome
difficulties, innovative sales and service, and service to the community.
Tim Martin, president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber, told Wednesday's gathering at
the Albany Civic Center, "I have tremendous respect for our small businesses."
Also at the breakfast meeting, Terrell Slayton, assistant secretary of state, talked
about the economic impact of small businesses in Georgia.
Slayton said small business is "the backbone of Georgia's economy."
He said Georgia's economy is 51 percent larger today than it was 10 years ago, growing
over that period not only in terms of revenue but also geographically and in its
diversity.
According to Slayton, a majority of businesses in Georgia would normally be classified
as small businesses. And at least 15 percent of all businesses in the state are minority
owned, he said.
Georgia also leads the nation in the number of women-owned businesses, Slayton said.
