> Medium Business of the Year :
Keen ’ s Portable Buildings
Established in Live Oak in 1999 by Suwannee County native Kevin Keen , today , Keen ’ s Portable Buildings encompasses seven locations in two states . With their vast product offerings and oneof-a-kind customer service , it ’ s easy to see how Keen ’ s was named the 2021 Medium Business of the Year .
“ I think I can speak for everybody at the company that it was beyond an honor to be nominated and then to win , we strive – and I do daily as well as the general manager of the company – to make sure that all of our customers are taken care of and they ’ re satisfied with their product and the service they got so being nominated and then actually winning , it ’ s a proud moment for Keen ’ s and a proud moment for me as well ,” said Eric Wood , the General Manager of the Keen ’ s Portable Buildings Howard Street location in Live Oak . “ The one thing that I can say above all is that we count it an honor for our past customers , our present customers and even our future customers , we appreciate it for sure and that ’ s our goal is to strive to get better and build upon what we already have and just get even better than what we are ,” he said .
> Small Business of the Year :
Downtown Café
Initially founded in 2009 , Sunshine McIntosh joined the Downtown Café team in 2012 and , in 2019 , took ownership of the business after the original owners moved out of town . McIntosh kept the menu that made the Downtown Café a success relatively untouched – offering a variety of soups , salads , sandwiches , wraps and paninis – but added home-cooked Sunday meals like pot roast or chicken and dumplings during the non-summer months .
As a restaurant owner , the pandemic also encouraged her to become more creative in order to stay open and dabbled in to-go orders and temporarily provided deliveries . With support from her parents and help from her son , the Downtown Café has become a family affair and it ’ s that warm atmosphere and – let ’ s face it – delicious food that led to the café being named the 2021 Small Business of the Year .
“ I cried like a baby I was so excited . I was humbled , I was overwhelmed , I couldn ’ t believe they had chosen me to represent – I was very humbled , very appreciative and very thankful . The Lord has blessed me so much ,” Sunshine McIntosh said .
> Nonprofit of the Year :
Pregnancy Care Center
The Pregnancy Care Center was initially founded in 1985 in Lake City and in 2002 opened a brick-and-mortar location in Live Oak before expanding its presence to Jasper and adding a mobile care
unit in 2018 . While the early years of the nonprofit mainly focused on providing baby supplies , today the center encompasses multiple aspects from educational programs and one-on-one resources to free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds . As a center dedicated to providing services and information on pregnancy , birth education , parenting and life skills , the Pregnancy Care Center has made a lasting impact on its community and therefore was named the 2021 Nonprofit of the Year .
“ For someone to recognize us , we were absolutely thrilled that they saw something that we could offer to the community ,” said Joyce Fullbright , who is the Center Director for the Pregnancy Care Center in Live Oak .
“ Just to be recognized and know that the community knows who we are , we love it because we ’ re 100 percent donation-based , we do not receive any government funds , so that community support is vital for us to continue what we ’ re doing .”
For information on the 2022 Business of the Year , visit the Chamber website at suwanneechamber . com .
2022-2023 | SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT 113