greater winston-salem inc. Small Business Award – mozelle’s and betty on burke

Mark Owens, Executive Chef Jay Pierce, Owner Jennifer Smith, and Jessica Harpe

This year’s small business of the year has been serving up some of Winston-Salem’s most craveable dishes under iconic sun umbrellas since 2008. 
Demonstrating that type of longevity in the restaurant business, while continuing to deliver inspired, fresh, seasonal menus to guests year after year is a feat in and of itself, but this owner and chef duo continue to take on new challenges through growth, expansion, and continued investment in Winston-Salem.

Owner Jennifer Smith and Executive Chef Jay Pierce have exemplified local business excellence through Mozelle’s operations and reliance on locally sourced ingredients – creating timeless dishes that have customers coming back, and earning many accolades.  

Continuing to focus on satisfying Winston-Salem’s appetite, Smith and Pierce opened Betty on Burke one year ago, taking an off-the-beaten-path space and transforming it into a dining destination that makes you feel like you are on vacation in your own city. 

Dr. Anthony Atala Innovator of the Year Award presented by Allegacy Federal Credit Union – novex innovations  

Mark Owens, Jerry Barker – Novex Innovations, Emily Edwards – Allegacy Federal Credit Union

Novex Innovations supports life sciences companies with their manufacturing needs, which is incredibly valuable to have in our community. Novex works with companies to make and distribute their products from early discovery phase all the way through commercialization. 

As a manufacturing partner, they can provide a sense of stability and serve as an ambassador for our community on a regional, national, and global stage. 

Since the company’s inception in 2014, Novex has been steadily growing and creating jobs in our community, and they have recently seen a surge in hires as they continue to build out new service offerings. They have also supported workforce development initiatives to the broader community, hosting hands-on training sessions for students and technicians that teach vital skills for manufacturing in a clean environment. 

All this work ultimately positively benefits the company’s customers and the patients they serve.  

truliant collaboration of the year award – nsf regenerative medicine engine

Dr. Anthony Atala, Dr. Janet Spriggs, Nancy Johnston, Dr. Stevie Lawrence, Dr. Salil Desai, Mark Owens, Bonita Brown, Anderson Langford, Tim Bertram, Isaac Perry, Lillian Johnson, Karen Barnes, Bert Clayton, Jesse Thornburg 

The Truliant Collaboration of the Year has been awarded to the NSF Regenerative Medicine Engine, and its core partners: the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Forsyth Tech, NC A&T University, Winston-Salem State University, Axiom Space, and the Regenerative Medicine Development Organization (ReMDO). Beyond these core partners, the NSF Engine has a staggering nearly 200 industry, academic, research and community organizations taking part in its work.

The NSF Engine, backed by the National Science Foundation, seeks to accelerate the translation of regenerative medicine technologies into commercial products, creating an economic driver for the region. By establishing an industrial base for regenerative medicine in North Carolina, with the epicenter being in Winston-Salem, the NSF Engine is bolstering US competitiveness in biomanufacturing on a global stage while preparing tomorrow’s workforce in this advancing field. 

In just its first year, the NSF Engine has created significant impact through industry growth in central Carolina of over 50 jobs in the first full year of operations, regional investment of nearly $300 million dollars, and expansion of the talent pipeline through high school and college, and industry internship opportunities. 

Celebrating 5 years of impact through the mbe grant program

Video: Pop Media

Over the course of five years, our Minority and Business Enterprise Grant program, which was led by black and latinx business leaders, supplied essential funding for long-term pandemic relief. It is hard to believe, but this year marks the final cohort. We recognized the grant recipients at this year’s Annual Meeting.

104 MBE Grants were distributed over 5 years, equaling a combined total of more than $1 million dollars.

Donors:

Allegacy Federal Credit Union, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Babcock, The Budd Group, Alan and Lisa Caldwell, Cook Medical, Jean C. Davis, Brenda Diggs, Duke Energy, Flow Automotive, Flow Lexus, Front Street Capital, Paul Fulton, Drew and Kelley Hancock, Javara, Bill McClain, Modern Automotive, L. David Mounts, David Neill, Novant Health, the Prim Family Foundation, Reynolds American, Ben C. Sutton, Jr., the Truist Charitable Fund, Claire and Randall Tuttle, Wells Fargo (Business) and the Wells Fargo Foundation, John Whitaker, and the Whitaker Park Development Authority.

Keynote Address – spencer baird, CEO, inmar intelligence

Under Spencer’s leadership, Inmar Intelligence has entered a transition period marked by leadership and cultural changes, enterprise portfolio optimization, and a deep focus on building a new foundation for the future. Emphasizing organic growth and market leadership, Spencer has effectively repositioned the business through a robust, customer-centric approach that emphasizes over-delivering on customer expectations via products, delivery, and most importantly, outcomes.

Inmar’s loyalty program and e-commerce systems deliver $10 billion in annual savings to consumers nationwide, benefiting 43 million shoppers nationally and nearly 1.4 million in North Carolina.

The company’s sustainability and charitable giving programs have saved 225,000 kilowatt-hours of energy and 960 tons of CO2, along with over $4 million to the United Way of Forsyth County, $10,000 in entrepreneur grants to the Center for Creative Economy, and 2,000 families supported through the Angel Tree giving program.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

The Annual Meeting is made possible by Supporting Sponsors: Duke Energy, Kilpatrick Townsend, and Truliant Federal Credit Union | Innovator of the Year Sponsor: Allegacy Federal Credit Union | Reception Sponsor: Mercedes-Benz of Winston-Salem | Gold Sponsors: Carolina Core, Cook Medical, Inmar Intelligence, Winston-Salem Dash, and Winston-Salem State University | Floral Sponsor: Sophisticated Florals by Stephanie

Photos

Gwen Fletcher, Red Cardinal Studio

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