Knoxville Chamber Recognizes Black-Owned Business Excellence

From the Knoxville Chamber:

February 25, 2021

The mission of the Knoxville Chamber is to drive regional economic prosperity for every person in our community. During Black History Month, the Chamber is pleased to highlight Black-owned businesses that are former Pinnacle Business Award winners.

The most recent Back Minority-Owned Business Excellence recipient was Harry Boston of Boston Government Services, LLC.

BGS is an engineering, technology, and security firm helping to advance missions of national importance for government programs, national laboratories, security facilities, and nuclear operations. Harry and his team work to support clients at every stage from strategic planning and program management to the execution of engineering and technical activities. They work to attract and retain the best talent because the best talent delivers the best results for their clients.

In 2018 the Knoxville Chamber proudly presented Kenneth Robinson, owner of MBK Wellness, with the same Pinnacle Business Award.

MBK Wellness is a Knoxville wellness spa that strives in total dedication to your health and well-being. Located in the heart of West Knoxville, MBK Wellness offers various treatments to supply their clients with the opportunity to nurture their souls and unwind. Remaining one of the top spas in the region since its opening in 2016, Knoxville is proud to have this growing business as a major contributor to the area’s economic development and prosperity.

The 2017 award recipient was Sandra Spencer, owner of Sandra G’s. Sandra Spencer’s story is one of childhood perseverance and growth and displays how a nurtured passion can turn into a successful business.

While attending high school in West Virginia, Sandra’s home economics teacher helped further her hone her skills with needle and thread. In 1995, after working in banking for 16 years, Sandra entered the alteration business by working at a local bridal salon. After 5 years of intense scheduling and many happy customers, she left to work as an office manager for a retirement investment firm. After the firm’s subsequent closure, she reentered the bridal industry. After four years, Spencer was inspired by her clients and previous management, to start her own alternation business that went on to launch in 2004.

Continuing to explore Knoxville’s fashion industry, the Knoxville Chamber recognized Marc Nelson Denim as the 2015 Minority-Owned Business Excellence Award winner. Marc Nelson Denim is a small-batch craft denim brand centered on the experience of each customer who wears their end product. They size, mark, cut and sew each pair to achieve modern-day rarities of ideal fit and the handmade craft. With a love for the rare, each batch is limited and uniquely its own.

Marc Nelson Denim was founded by Marcus Hall, who grew up near the old Levi’s factory on Cherry Street in Knoxville, where his family and friends were once employed. Denim has long been a fabric that not only helped shaped his life, but also the lives of those around him. With a desire to restore jobs lost in the off-shoring of the American Denim industry, Hall and the MND team has a vision for rekindling that sense of pride in Knoxville.

In 2012, Always Moore Janitorial Service was selected as the year’s Pinnacle Award winner in the Minority-Owned category. The business was founded in Oak Ridge, TN in 2008 by CEO Denise Moore, the company has since participated in the Chamber’s Propel Mentor-Protege program. Always Moore is proud to state that their best form of advertisement and marketing has always been “satisfied customers using word of mouth.” The business has been growing rapidly ever since.

Notable highlights about the company included its heart for the community and its mission to help area-seniors in need of assistance with the cleaning and organization of their homes. Always Moore continues to work to assist Knoxville’s elderly community in providing a service for the elderly while ensuring they maintain safety and are not alone.

Last but not least, in 2006, the Chamber honored Premiere Building Maintenance Corporation. President and CEO, Mark Isom notes that the company’s business excellence did not happen by accident. The Premiere team as a whole takes immense pride in their work and commits to Personal Responsibility In Delivering Excellence (P.R.I.D.E.).

Though operating across the Southeast region, the company’s primary office is headquartered in Knoxville, TN. Each day, their workforce of more than 500 personel provides comprehensive facility support services at 400 sites encompassing more than 25 million square feet. Premiere is more than just a facilities management service provider, they are a value-added business partner of East TN region.

This press release was produced by the Knoxville Chamber. The views expressed are the author's own.