-My Aide, Denise Williams
-My CPA, Spencer Ingram, President & CEO of Ingram & Association.
-Mr. Steve Beasley, Photographer and Political Consultant, and good friend.

To Patricia McGowan and the Small Business Development Center, congratulations on 16 years of providing an invaluable service to the citizens of our community. To the committee responsible for organizing this event, I would like to congratulate you also on a job well done. This is always a first-class event, and this year’s is as excellent as always. In my off-duty time from being Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, which I’m finding is not much time this year, I am a small businessman myself. As President of Thaell & Associates, a marketing and public relations firm, I have an appreciation for all the challenges that come with being in business for oneself. Often the challenges (the bills, establishing a reputation and a reliable clientele, and so forth) seem to overshadow the successes, especially early on.

This is why I believe programs like this are important. It takes a tremendous amount of patience and persistence to succeed in business, and we all have different barometers for assessing our level of success.

Small Business Week and the various ways small businesses in our community are recognized during this week provides one such barometer. Often, we get so bogged down in the day-to-day details, that for someone to just know we exist is recognition enough.

We live in a community dominated by government. Most of our citizens are employed with the State, County, or City. I want to see more diversified industry come into Leon County and thrive here, so that a broader array of industry will be able to employ our citizens. I want all businesses here to continue to grow and prosper, and become a more viable employment source in Leon County. I know that many of you want that too, and I encourage you to persevere until you achieve the level of success you are working for.

Last year’s recipient of the Small Business of the Year Award is a business that I have gained a great amount of respect for:

Systems Design of Tallahassee. Ray Eaton and Dolecia Rhodes, and their dedicated staff have established quite a level of respect in this community as a top-notch provider of information technology products and services. System Design has impressed Leon County to such a degree that last year they were presented the Model Business Award for the excellence and distinction this company has shown since its inception.

To this year’s winner, Lee Gilliam of Capital City Pipes,

I give you my personal congratulations. You provide a much-needed service to our county and I wish you continued success.

[Proclamations will be read after awards have been presented toward the end of the program.]