What small Shawnee County businesses stand out to you?

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Greater Topeka Partnership (GTP) says nominations for its 2024 Small Business Awards are now open.

As of Jan. 11, the GTP said on social media Topekans can start submitting nominations for their favorite local small businesses "that embody the spirit of success in our community." Nominated businesses will be featured on GTP's website. Topekans are encouraged to follow along to watch the businesses move from nominees to finalists before a winner is eventually decided on.

Award criteria for the nomination process include the following:

• Business staying power, strategies and vision
• Growth in employee numbers and good employee relations
• Rising sales and/or unit volume and assets
• Innovativeness of product, service or business model
• Response to challenges
• Community engagement and contributions

To be eligible for the Small Business Awards, businesses must meet the following criteria:

• Must be located within Shawnee County
• Must have 100 or fewer employees, along with owners and founders
• Businesses must have been in operation for at least two years for Young Entrepreneur, Micro Enterprise and Emerging Innovation Venture Award and at least three years for the other categories
• Businesses must be for-profit

The nomination process ends at 5 p.m. on Feb. 29, 2024. You can nominate a small local business by using this link. You will need to enter your name and email during the nomination process.

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