Nominated – “Business of the Year”

Seminole Regional Chamber of Commerce – Choice Awards 2010

Chamber Choice Awards Event

Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 7:30 am

Orlando Hilton – Altamonte Springs

350 S. Northlake Blvd., Altamonte Springs 32701

Congratulations!!!

You have been nominated for a Chamber Choice Award in the Business of the Year category.

 The selection committee, made up of a diverse group of Chamber Members, will meet to determine the recipients.  In order to make an educated decision, please fill out the following information to better inform the committee of your qualifications for this award. All qualification forms must be submitted by

no later than 5:00pm on Friday, May 7th in order to be considered.

All Winners will be announced at the event on June 3, 2010.

Has your for-profit business…

…advocated for a particular cause that impacts the quality of life in Seminole County?

…stood out from others based upon performance?

…significantly contributed to the community?

 Disclaimer:  All nominations will be considered. The Selection Committee will make final decisions and Honorees will be announced at the event. The Selection Committee has the right to not present a category or create a new category. In order to share recognition of our members, the Selection Committee does not plan to repeat winners in the same category, two years in a row.

Basic Information

Company:  Lake Mary Cork&Olive

Contact Name:  Antoney Manipadam

Phone:  407.620.5268        Email:  wines@corkandoliveonline.com

Mailing Address:  4247 W. Lake Mary Blvd, Lake Mary, FL 32746

Type of Industry or Business: Wine Bar, Wine Retail & Gift Baskets

Brief Description of Your Company (300 word limit): 

Lake Mary Cork&Olive is a Wine Bar and Wine Store. We offer a small conference room and free Wi-Fi access. We can help you plan your parties, and open houses at your home or office. We are unique with certified sommelier, and Certified Cheese & Wine experts on staff. Our products and services are completely guaranteed. We pride in our exceptional customer service, second to none.

 We opened our doors to business as a franchise, today we are completely an independent local business. We have grown our business year to year, month to month through our creative changes we have made to the business. We are today a location where you can mingle, learn, and network with local businesses, and your neighbors.

 We offer not just wine, we offer Beers, Sake, Chocolates, Olives, Olive Oils, Accessories, and custom gift baskets made just for you.  We ship to most Sates in the US and we do local deliveries free of charge as well.

Advocacy

List and explain how your business advocated for a particular cause that impacts the quality of life in Seminole County (100 word limit).

 Lake Mary Cork&Olive in partnership with several local charities tried to promote awareness and need for local involvement.  Today we partner with more local charities in the area than any other small business, including Seminole County Animal Services, Guardian Ad Litem, Base Camp, Relay for Life, American Diabetes Foundation, Kidney Foundation, Odyssey of the Mind, and Lake Mary Rotary Club.

 Our Green Mission, to use and waste less, has benefited us greatly by reducing the cost of electricity. The re-usable bags, and bottles are a hit, as we retain most of the customers who opt for that.

 List and explain any what makes your business stand out from others (100 word limit). _____

We are different from most small retail businesses; because we know the value of each new customer we bring and expose our business to. We do this by going out into the community, by getting involved with local charities, schools, churches, retirement homes, and by building business to business connections.

 We attract new customers through our Free Wi-Fi, the conference room, the Toastmasters Club, and the various events we do to promote local charities. We retain our customers by providing exceptional quality of service, and product guarantee.  Our educational programs on wine and beer are also very popular.

  List and explain how your company is surviving these difficult economic times (100 word limit).

  • We have increased our efforts to promote the business to our target markets by participating in more local charitable events like Taste of Lake Mary, Taste of Sanford, Jazz Festival, and Heathrow Arts Festival. Today we partner with more local charities in the area than any other small business, they include Seminole County Animal Services, Guardian Ad Litem, Base Camp, Relay for Life, American Diabetes Foundation, Kidney Foundation to state a few.
  • We have cut our costs by reducing the electrical costs by 70% – by replacing the bulbs, and eliminating wasteful energy use in 2009.
  • We have introduced over 30 wines that sells for about $10 per bottle.
  • We have refocused on the green and re-use, thus saving money and increased customer loyalty. Our re-usable bags, re-usable olive-oil bottles, and spice containers are some of the examples.
  • We have started partnering with local business, like Sun Chowder’s Emporia, Chocolate Traditions, and many more to reduce the cost of goods, and save more as we eliminate shipping and handling costs.

 List any environmentally friendly or green programs used by your company (100 word limit).  

  • We have cut our costs by reducing the electrical costs by 70% – by replacing the bulbs, and eliminating wasteful energy use in 2009.
  • We have refocused on the green and re-use, thus saving money and increased customer loyalty. Our re-usable bags, re-usable olive-oil bottles, and spice containers are some of the examples.

 Employees – please limit each answer to less than 100 words.

List any corporate wellness programs used to boost employee morale?

  • We offer training programs for our employees so that they get trained and become experts in the product. All our employees are full time students at UCF or Seminole State College, and we work around their schedule to make sure that they are successful in life.

 Does your company offer any incentives such as time off, bonuses, etc. for employees to volunteer? If so, please explain.

  • None at this time as they are full time students.

 Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce Involvement

Events (Please circle):     Attended       Spoke / Presented      Sponsored       Volunteered

Member Since: __2008____        Current Membership Level:  Regular____

Board and Committee Involvement:  

  • Applied to the Ambassador Committee.
  • Like to be part of re-building the Lake Mary Chamber

 Community and Recognition – please limit each answer to less than 100 words.

List any Civic and Community Involvement:

  • President of the Lake Mary Toastmasters club at Cork&Olive
  • Treasurer of Lake Mary Toastmasters club at Panera Bread.
  • Active with committee involvement at the Lake Mary Rotary Club.
  • Was an Ambassador for the Sanford Chamber of Commerce
  • Seminole County School system volunteer
  • Judge and Volunteer at the Odyssey of the Mind Competitions

 List any professional affiliations and achievement:

  • Certified Sommelier

 List any significant awards or honors: 

  • Nominated for the “Innovative Business of the year award in 2009.

 Additional Information

State any additional information that qualifies you for this award (100 word limit):

  • Awards and nominations by the Chamber can make a business more successful. When you are passionate about what you do, it will show in everything you do. There is nothing but success is in our destiny and we are lucky to be part of the Seminole Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Here is the link to the Seminole Regional Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.seminolebusiness.org/cwt/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=38