Albany Area Businesses Recognized at Celebrate Small Business Ceremony

Pool Brothers Cabinets + Flooring + Lighting named Albany Area Chamber Small Business of the Year

Just a nomination for the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award was reward enough for Keith and David Pool, owners of Pool Brothers Cabinets+Flooring+Lighting.

Winning the award? Wasn’t even on the brothers’ radar.

But the Pools and their staff got a pleasant surprise Tuesday when Pool Brothers Cabinets+Flooring+Lighting was named the winner of the 2017 Small Business of the Year Award.

“This has just been a humbling experience,” Keith Pool said Wednesday. “Albany has so many great businesses, I am just blown away that we were selected, and we will do our best to serve this community and hopefully make the chamber proud.”

The Pool Brothers provide full-service consultation, design and installation of custom cabinets, flooring and lighting, and recently opened a 2,200-square-foot showroom at 182 Oakland Parkway in Lee County.

“The whole reason our business model is the way it is, is to provide our customers with the best possible service,” Pool said on the day after receiving the chamber honor. “I’ve been in this business for 17 years and have heard the stories of people being taken for a ride by contractors. We make sure that never happens to our customers.

“When you save up hard-earned money to invest into your home, that should be an enjoyable process. It should be fun. We help take the stress out of it, and the customer can rest assured that whatever their need, we are there to take care of it.”

The award ceremony took place during a “Spring Carnival” reception held at Chehaw park. All nine of the year’s finalists were recognized for the roles they play in growing the Albany area economy.

The chamber also honored 229 Yoga with its 2017 Rising Star Award, which recognizes a high-performing young business, and Southern Point Staffing with the 2017 #AlbanyStrong Award, which recognizes a business that went above and beyond to assist others during the disastrous storms that hit the community in January.

At the ceremony, Albany Area Chamber President Barbara Rivera Holmes pointed out that 78 percent of businesses in Georgia have fewer than 10 employees, and 95 percent have fewer than 50 employees.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the American free enterprise system,” said Holmes. “Their opportunities for prosperity set the tone of communities and determine the strength of economies. The growth, products and services of the Albany Area Chamber 2017 Small Business of the Year, Pool Brothers Cabinets+Flooring+Lighting, and other finalists are indicative of the innovation, resilience and determination of the Albany area.”

According to Keith Pool, being nominated was flattering. Winning, he said, was a real honor. But he also noted that Pool Brothers is built around providing great service, with or without an award.

“We really appreciate being nominated, and, of course, I hoped that we would win. That’s a real honor,” said Pool. “But we are not in business to win awards. We are in business to provide our customers with the best service possible for any of their cabinet, flooring or lighting needs. That’s what we believe in, and that’s what we do.”

The other eight finalists nominated included 229 Yoga, Southern Point Staffing, Araamda Inn, Country Financial, Custom Interiors, Gieryic’s Automotive Repair, Shutters Plus, and Troy University Albany Support Center.

Celebrate Small Business Week in Albany continues today with a Lunch and Learn that includes the program “Branding Small Business,” That event will begin at 11:30 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. On Friday, the webinar “You’re Social, Now What?” will be available for viewing all day.

For more information on the Small Business of the Year awards and remaining Celebrate Small Business Week events, visit albanyga.com, or contact Deidra Langstaff at (229) 343-1366.