- Copper Cactus Awards: The Tucson Metro Chamber has recognized 16 small businesses with Copper Cactus Awards. The honor celebrates the accomplishments and innovation of Southern Arizona’s locally owned small businesses.
The winners of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Best Place to Work award were: Fangamer (three to 30 employees), Contact One Call Center (31 to 75 employees) and Pueblo Mechanical and Controls (76 to 250 employees). The winners of the Cenpatico Integrated Care Workforce Development were Village Bakehouse (three to 30 employees) and AAA Landscape (76 to 250 employees). Taking home the Cox Business Growth award were Re-Bath of Tucson (three to 30 employees), Walbro (31 to 75 employees) and Casa de la Luz Hospice (76 to 250 employees). The Nextrio Innovation awards went to Silverado Rooter & Plumbing (three to 30 employees), Paragon Space Development (31 to 75 employees) and Simpleview (76 to 250 employees). Barbi Reuter of Cushman & Wakefield Picor was named the Copperpoint Small Business Leader of the Year. The Tucson Girls Chorus, Literacy Connects, Youth on Their Own and SAAVI Services for the Blind were honored with Tucson Electric Power Charitable Nonprofit Business awards.
- The Solar Store: The Tucson-based solar firm has been named one of the top 500 solar contractors in the United States by Solar Power World magazine. The Top Solar Contractors list is developed to recognize work by solar contractors across the United States. The Solar Store employs 17 workers, who installed 478 kilowatts of solar in 2016. Since its founding in 1998, the company has installed 3,544 kilowatts of solar.
- Dragoon Brewing Co.: The Tucson business took home top honors at the Arizona Pure Water Brew Challenge. The challenge is a yearlong campaign aimed at changing the public’s perception of recycled water. The event brought together 26 Arizona craft brewers from Tucson, Yuma, Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona and the Phoenix area to see who could craft the best-tasting beer using purified recycled community wastewater. Dragoon’s Clear Water Pilsner was crowned the winning brew. Crooked Tooth Brewing Co., also of Tucson, took home the fan favorite award for its Tamarind Sour Brown.
