Small Business of the Year finalists named

Five area businesses have been announced as finalists for this year?s Small Business of the Year award.

Main Street Cinemas, Your Dream Home Furniture and Floors, Sarah?s Bridal Gallery, Egli Landscapes and Northeast Animal Hospital were proclaimed as finalists by the Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance during Wednesday night?s Alive After Five.

The reveal of the 2017 Small Business of the Year will be done during Small Business Week, which will be celebrated May 1-5.

?Since 1963, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America?s entrepreneurs and small business owners,? said Kristi Ray, Executive Vice President of the Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance, in a press release.

In the Mt. Pleasant Chamber Alliance, more than 250 businesses have less than 25 employees. Those businesses, according to a press release, contribute over $60,000 to the Chamber annually, and collectively small businesses account for more than 1,200 jobs in the community.

?Every day small businesses are working to grow their business, create jobs, and improve their community,? said Ray.

Small Business Week will kick-off with a celebration at Sip on Monday, May 1, at 8 a.m. and will commence with the announcement of the Small Business of the Year award at a special luncheon on Friday, May 5, at 11:30 a.m., at the Mt. Pleasant Golf and Country Club.

Other events that week will include Alive After Five at Athletico on Wednesday, May 3, and a ribbon cutting at each of the finalists throughout the week.