Great accomplishments

Our hats are off for the four major award winners at the Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and banquet that was held at the Fauquier Springs Country Club on Friday night.

Being selected by one's peers in the business community for these distinctions is quite an honor, and one not come by easily. These are successful businesses and nonprofits, but, more than that, they are backbones of this community.

• The Fauquier County Fair was named the Not-for-profit Business of the Year. It is, presenter and last year's winner Jean Lowe (president, Fauquier Community Food Bank and Thrift Store) said, in its 63rd year, and runs on "donations, fundraisers, sponsors and hard work." It is, she said -- and we agree -- "a great testimonial to Fauquier County past, present and future."

Fair president and volunteer nonpareil Brenda Rich accepted the award.

• Chamber President Priscilla Hottle presented the Small Business of the Year Award to Jamie Gorman, founder and president of Sigma Business Management Inc.

Gorman is in business "to help small business be better at business," Hottle said, and has he ever.
Sigma offers full strategic business plans with financial projections, meeting planning and facilitation services and business-management education.

• A "landmark of Fauquier County and the Town of Warrenton," County Chevrolet was named the Large Business of the Year, and the only sad note of the evening was that Andy Budd, the Times-Democrat Citizen of the Year in 2010, was unable to attend.

Budd and his dealership have been a "strong supporter of the Fauquier community, participating on boards and/or committees" of too many organizations to list, presenter Ray Knott told the attendees.

• And finally, last year's Business Person of the Year Mike Appleton handed over this year's honor to Douglas Marshall, president of Marshall Consulting Group.

"Even with the bad economy," Appleton said, the community honors Marshall's "passion, integrity and genuine care for business and people," which have made him "a leader in the industry."

Business has been tough. These people, and many others in our outstanding community don't care -- they don't care, at least, to the extent that they are not going to let tough times keep them from plugging along, bettering their businesses while working tirelessly to improve the community wherein it operates.

Our hats off to them, and to the Chamber for an outstanding job of recognizing the right people for the right reasons.