SMALL BUSINESS
The Small Business Office provides a supportive ecosystem where small businesses and entrepreneurs can thrive by providing access to valuable resources, knowledge and connections, that are crucial to their success!
BEST PLACES TO WORK® AWARDS
We are excited to announce our Best Places to Work® Contenders! See the full list. We will hand out the awards in various categories at our Best Places to Work® luncheon on Tuesday, May 13 at 11:30 a.m. We will also induct another company into the Best Places to Work® Hall of Fame. This event will be held in the VBC Saturn Ballroom. Register today!
The Chamber’s annual Best Places to Work® awards honors outstanding companies in Huntsville/Madison County whose benefits, policies and practices are among the area’s best. Along with full bragging rights, Best Places to Work® gives businesses a unique tool that cultivates employee engagement in the workplace.
Rankings are based on an Employee Engagement Survey that asks employees to rate their company on a variety of workplace issues and topics. Surveys are administered and tabulated by Quantum Workplace—a third party research firm—and results are exclusively based on survey response participation. All companies are guaranteed anonymity regarding participating and results.
Best Places to Work® Award Winners
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Photos from the past events (2012–2024) >>
SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS GALA
Nominations for the 2025 Small Business Awards are open through Friday, May 9. We have 16 categories that highlight our diverse small business community, and this is a wonderful opportunity to put your business out there in the community and potentially earn an award. Nominate a company today, and mark your calendar for the Small Business Award Gala on Thursday, Sept. 4.
For over 30 years the Chamber has been supporting and recognizing individuals and businesses that make a positive impact on our community through their products, services, and outstanding attributes. Our annual Small Business Awards Gala honors the best of the best small business entrepreneurs, young professionals, nonprofits, and executive leadership.
The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber honored local small businesses and individuals during the 39th Annual Small Business Awards Gala, held at the Von Braun Center Saturn Ballroom on September 12, 2024. Congratulations to all the winners!
Small Business Award Winners
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
Photos from the past events (2012–2024) >>
NETWORKING EVENTS
Networking is essential in helping to develop and improve interpersonal skill sets, stay on top of industry trends, keep a pulse on the job market, meet prospective mentors, partners, and customers. This is why the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber offers monthly (6 in a calendar year) networking opportunities at alternating times of day to accommodate busy professionals.
Check our upcoming events and register today.
Breakfast & Biz
Breakfast & Biz is a fast-paced networking event designed for members of the business community to connect and promote their products or services in a time-saving and effective way. Attendees arrive at work after a light breakfast and plenty of coffee with a handful of business cards, and follow-up calls to be made!
Photos from the past events >>
Business After Hours
People do business with people they know, and there’s no better way to get to know other professionals than by attending a Business After Hours! Attendees have the opportunity to build a network, share common challenges, ideas and solutions, and connect with other local business professionals over a drink and lite hors d’oeuvres. With one of the greatest draws to these networking events being the opportunity to meet new professionals, attendees are always encouraged to bring someone new, as well as plenty of business cards!
Photos from the past events >>
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
The professional world is becoming increasingly competitive, so professional development and continual learning is more important than ever for your team to be successful and achieve business and career goals. Technologies and best practices are evolving and progressing in every industry, making it crucial for both new and experienced professionals to continue developing their skills and honing knowledge.
The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber offers monthly professional development and low-cost training for your employees. These include classes on computer skills (Word, Excel, Google) as well as informative programming on topics such as cyber security, human resource management, how to do business with local and federal government entities, trends in marketing, and more.
Check our upcoming events and register today. We add new classes often.
Photos from the past events >>
C-SUITE SPEAKER SERIES
The path to entrepreneurship or company leadership is not for the weak. It is a long and arduous process that is filled with moments of success and failure, and feelings of self-doubt and personal satisfaction. Those who find success embrace these trials and tribulations and use them as fuel to move further along the path and to find even greater success. It is from these people that we can learn some of the most powerful lessons to finding success!
The Chamber’s C-Suite Speaker Series, 4 presentations offered once a quarter, brings CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other C-Suite level executives from leading companies/organizations to the podium to share their experiences with success and failure as they made their journey to the C-Suite. These programs build awareness, foster understanding and spark conversation among attendees as they network with these key decision makers in the community.
Photos from the past events >>
SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCES
The Small Business resource page connects business owners and entrepreneurs with valuable resources, knowledge and networks. This page highlights programs offered by both the Chamber and partner organizations, helping you find the best support for your business success. Visit the page.
SMALL BUSINESS WEEK
April 28 –May 4 was 2024 Small Business Week! We encouraged our members to support local businesses throughout the week by suggesting different ways to do just that: @Sunday Fun Day, Mention Monday, Takeout Tuesday, Welcome Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, Friendly Friday, and Self-Care Saturday.
Watch the videos we made for the Small Business Week!
WOMEN'S BUSINESS COUNCIL
The Women's Business Council (WBC) of the Chamber is an inclusive and dynamic network of professionals that values all people in our community and strives to create equitable opportunities. The Council fosters leadership, collaboration, and mentorship to inspire growth and success. Through shared experiences and collective support, the WBC strives to create opportunities and cultivate an environment where everyone can thrive in business and beyond.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, April 15, 9–10:30 a.m.
Understanding Tariffs and Their Impact on Small Businesses
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
Monday, May 5, 4–6 p.m.
Nacho Average Success Story, Women Who Rise Above
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
Tuesday, May 6, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
Niche to Win, How Unique Restaurant Concepts Are Shaping Success
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
Wednesday, May 7, 9–10:30 a.m.
Ready to Fuel Your Business Growth?
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
Thursday, May 8, 4–6 p.m.
Small Business Launch: Insights from Pitch Competition & Accelerator Participants?
The Belle @ Stovehouse (3414 Governors Dr SW, Huntsville, AL 35805)
Tuesday, May 13, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
2025 Best Places to Work® Awards
VBC Saturn Ballroom
Thursday, May 15, 7:30 a.m.–9 a.m.
Breakfast & Biz with AUSA
IBM – Bridge Street Towne Centre
Thursday, May 15, 10–11:30 a.m.
C-Suite with TJ Wright
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
Tuesday, May 20, 9–10:30 a.m.
Maximizing the Impact of Your Best Places to Work® Survey Results
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
QUESTIONS? CONTACT:
Ashley Engles-Ross
Vice President, Small Business
256-535-2043
Contact Small Business Team
America’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) are the largest most comprehensive network supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem with over 1,000 SBDCs nationwide and 10 in the state of Alabama.
The APEX Accelerator serves as the bridge between small businesses and government contracting (city, state and federal). We are results-driven and offer confidential business advising and professional development services at no cost to our clients, funded in part by the SBA and DoD. We work closely with the area economic development agencies, chambers of commerce and are affiliated with UAH.
The UAH SBDC/APEX Accelerator is a regional office serving the 7 counties (Madison, Marshall, Morgan, Limestone, DeKalb Cullman and Jackson Counties) in the northeast part of Alabama. Our offices are located in the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber. And, we continue to work in a hybrid fashion due to client demand. We assist small business owners through all phases of the business lifecycle, Growing our Economy, one Business at a Time!
RESOURCES
- Ready.gov - Incident Management
- Sans Institute Incident Response Policy - Security Policy Templates
- Chat GPT
- Cybersecurity Incident & Vulnerability Response Playbooks (CISA)
- PhishFirewall - Security Awareness Training
- Professional Development Series Past Presentations
