2021's Real Hometown Heroes Praised By Their Peers

More than 5,000 testimonials about supportive, collaborative small business owners have been posted already during our 2021 Local Business Person Of The Year Contest. 

But the following four stories really jumped out at us, because they highlight what makes many small business people real, everyday heroes in their communities -- especially during this very challenging COVID Era. 

Our first local hero hails from Laguna Beach, CA. Her name is Heidi Miller, owner of Tight Assets, a clothing store, and The World Newsstand.  

Her biggest fan, Jim Rue of LagunaPC, says she is truly one of a kind. And when you read everything she's done to support other businesses and her community, you'll understand why.

"Heidi Miller has a big heart. Ask anyone. 

I've lost count of the number of local businesses and artists closed by the pandemic that Heidi has invited to offer their wares in pop-ups by the World Magazine Stand. 

The magazine stand itself is another of her open-hearted entrepreneurial efforts on the behalf of the town of Laguna Beach. Can you think of another magazine stand anywhere in Orange County? I can not. 

Even in Los Angeles, there can't be more than one or two remaining.  But for Heidi Miller's support, the magazine stand would have closed permanently years ago. 

Heidi Helps People Facing Troubling Times

She is the one to go to for those seeking new perspectives on a sticky local business problem. She readily advocates for local residents facing sudden misfortune or catastrophic illness, and Heidi is very socially involved. 

She is ceaselessly dedicated to fitness. Every spring, she bangs the drum for fitness bootcamp, welcoming all comers to join her in a local park. 

For years, she was a strong supporter of the annual musical revue to support the March of Dimes. 

She even donated a kidney! No kidding! And she is an advocate for organ donation, who has recruited high profile OC business people to follow her excellent example.

She also is an enthusiastic online promoter of Laguna Beach as a destination. In short, she's a model citizen with a history of communitarian involvement that simply can't be beaten. Not now. Not in this town."

Want to vote for Heidi? Go to her profile.  

Our second local hero is Jamie Petelin of Mission BBQ in Troy, MI. See why she's a contender for Troy's Local Business Person Of The Year, according to her top fan, Frank Roche. 

Frank is a service officer with the American Legion #253, who works with the Detroit VA Hospital. He tells us that Jamie has gone above and beyond for Frank and his fellow veterans. 

Jamie Feeds Doctors & Nurses On The Front Lines 

"During the height of the pandemic, the doctors and nurses at the Detroit VA Hospital were working overlapping shifts. Some shifts were as long as 15 hours and the hospital cafeteria could not keep up with the requests for meals.

We presented this problem to Jamie and she immediately went to her boss and let us know they were available to help. 

Initially, they prepared over 100 box lunches and with Jamie's help, they were personally delivered to the doctors and nurses on the front lines at the hospital.

This was critical, because at the time, the hospital was only able to bring in a series of pizza orders and pizza was becoming an everyday staple. In addition, the Detroit VA Hospital is part of the Detroit Medical Center and being out of the local suburban setting, they were forgotten and ignored. 

Simple Mission: Support Veterans

Many of the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Detroit VA hospital are all veterans.  And the mission of Mission BBQ to help veterans.

Since our initial venture with the Detroit VA Hospital, we have continued to work with Jamie at Mission BBQ to serve additional lunches at the veterans' hospital.

To date, we have delivered over 700 meals to the doctors and nurses in appreciation for all that they do to support our veterans who are disabled, or in need of medical or mental health care. 

While we were serving meals curbside to our homeless veterans and those in the community that needed help, Jamie once again stepped up and gave us a helping hand.

We let her know when and where Gleaners was delivering boxes of food to be distributed by the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans' Coalition and the American Legion. 

Feeding Vets While They Fed The Homeless

She personally delivered box lunches to the veterans who were helping to deliver Gleaners' food to the needy. She even stayed an additional hour to thank each of us for doing what we were doing.

This is ONE very dedicated person we are proud to work with. We think she should be the top candidate for this recognition.

Without her help, we would have never been successful this year. She was instrumental in helping us to reinvent ourselves and redefine our mission."

Want to vote for Jamie? Go to her profile. 

Our third local hero is David Mann of East Forty Brewing in Blue Springs, MO. His peer, Joey Zarillo of RE/MAX Heritage - Z Team Realty, LLC, sang David's praises loudly in his testimonial.  

"David and his team at EFB are so innovative and have adapted despite a challenging year. 

They were ahead of the curve offering a hyper-local menu of food and drink items. I also like that they used environmentally friendly building practices when restoring and improving the building they are in with features like solar power and LED lighting. 

David also added outside seating, curbside pickup, and even delivery to expand his usable area and to keep all guests safe by exceeding requirements. 

David Helped Needy Kids

Even with all that the pandemic threw at them, he and his staff found time to give back to the community by doing things like organizing school lunch deliveries for kids in need. 

East Forty Brewing is truly a class-act organization, and that's why I feel David should be considered for Blue Springs' Business Person Of The Year."

Want to vote for David? Go to his profile.

Finally, our fourth testimonial praises local heroes Tambre and Eric Webb of FASTSIGNS in Fernandina Beach, FL.  Mark and Donna Paz Kaufman of Story & Song Bookstore Bistro explained why they believe Tambre and Eric should win Fernandina Beach's Local Business Person Of The Year title.

"We first met the Webbs when they purchased the local FastSigns franchise, and have done business with them since. 

We worked with them on the design, production, and installation of all the signage needed when we launched our business, Story & Song Bookstore Bistro here in Fernandina Beach. 

They have assembled and retained a dedicated team (a sign of good management), and take the time to ensure that the customer's needs are satisfied.

Tambre & Eric Produced Face & Counter Shields

What impressed us most was how quickly they adapted to the COVID crisis by transforming their production facility, acquiring new equipment and technology that allowed them to fabricate custom acrylic pieces, such as face shields, counter shields, social distancing signage, etc. 

If I'm not mistaken, they donated much of the personal protective equipment they manufactured to the frontline healthcare workers at our local hospital, Baptist Nassau Medical Center.

Want to vote for Tambre and Eric? Go to their profile.

To find out more about the contest, please read this short article. 

Just a friendly reminder -- the final votes must be cast before midnight ET on February 5, 2021. 

Thanks for reading and please share any other stories you know about how small business people have supported their communities during the COVID Era.