These seven regional finalists for the U.S. Chamber's Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Microsoft® adCenter, will be honored during America's Small Business Summit® 2007 in Washington, DC, May 23-25. The winner of the Small Business of the Year Award will be announced at the Awards Gala on May 24.

Northwest
Guidant Financial Group
Location: Bellevue, Washington
Co-Founders: David Nilssen and Jeremy Ames
Web site: http://www.guidantfinancial.com/

Guidant Financial Group began in 2003 to provide investors with safe and innovative ways to invest for their retirement. Today, Guidant has more than 60 employees and is considered a leading provider of self-directed IRAs and business funding solutions through individual IRAs and 401(k) plans.

Over the past two years, Guidant has helped more than 1,000 individuals take the first step toward business ownership by educating them on how to use their retirement funds to finance a new business. Guidant also helps coordinate Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and home equity lines of credit.

Distinctions:

•  Nilssen and Ames selected the 2006 Washington State Young Entrepreneurs of the Year
• Teamed up with the Seattle Chapter of SBA's Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) to create a philanthropic Web site designed to advance small business ownership in the Seattle area
• Offers employees up to $5,000 in tuition  reimbursement
   

Western
Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle LLP
Location: Long Beach, California
Managing Partner: Matthew L. Kinley
Web site: http://www.tldlaw.com/

The Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle (TLD) law firm has grown from 1 attorney and 1 employee in 1961 to 14 attorneys and 30 team members in offices in Downey, Irvine, and Long Beach. TLD focuses on communicating to clients the potential costs associated with being sued and works with them to avoid or anticipate those expenses. For example, TLD offers clients a litigation budget to plan ahead for legal fees.

Distinctions: 

• Provides yearly bonuses to all employees based on personal and firm performance
• Supports The Arc, an advocacy organization committed to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Has received the highest rating by Martindale-Hubbell, a well-known peer review body
   

Southwest and South Central
Mammen Glass & Mirror, Inc. dba M3 Glass Technologies
Location: Irving, Texas
President: Chris Mammen
Web site: http://www.mammen.com/

Mammen Glass & Mirror has carved out a niche for itself as the first independent custom glass manufacturer to heat treat, or temper, glass in the Dallas/Fort Worth market and the first company in the area capable of producing curved glass.

Started as an auto glass company in 1956, Mammen Glass is managed today by the founder's two sons, John and James, and grandson Chris. All members of the family are active in their industry's associations. For example, John Mammen served as founding director of the Dallas area Metroplex Glass Dealers Association, and Chris Mammen sits on the board of the National Glass Association.

Distinctions:

• Named one of 20 Best Companies by U.S. Glass Magazine for its innovation and reputation in the industry
• Participates in the annual "gift of glass" program, donating materials and equipment to replace windows for the poor, elderly, and disabled
• Nominates employees for national recognition and encourages them to write guest articles for trade publications
   

Midwest
Permac Industries
Location: Burnsville, Minnesota
President and Owner: Darlene Miller
Web site: http://www.permacindustries.com/

Permac Industries continues to find new customers and increase sales with a commitment to keeping jobs in the United States. The company, which manufactures precision machine parts for a variety of industries, has plans to double its 16,500-square-foot manufacturing plant.

Led by Darlene Miller, a former Permac sales representative who took over the company in 1994, Permac has grown from a basic screw machine shop into a state-of-the-art precision machining company with plans to expand into the medical and avionics industries.

Distinctions:

• Miller named Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year 2006 for actively promoting the business community
• Established Hope for Tomorrow, a mentoring program for at-risk girls
• Provides employees with gift and dinner certificates for personal and professional milestones, such as birthdays or outstanding performance
   

Great Lakes
My Chef Catering
Location: Naperville, Illinois
President and Founder: William C. and Karen Garlough
Web site: http://www.mychef.com/

In an industry with high turnover, My Chef Catering has been able to retain employees for nearly 10 years by treating them like extended family, according to owners Bill and Karen Garlough. In 2005, the Garloughs started to sell small portions of the company to key employees with the goal of eventually transferring complete ownership to their staff.

Eighteen years after opening its doors, My Chef Catering's sales volume is nine times the industry standard. It caters an estimated 4,000 events per year; in December 2006 alone, the company catered more than 400 events.

Distinctions:

• Named Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Overall Small Business of the Year 2006 and Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year 2006
• Hosts regular social events for employees and their families, including summer picnics and a gingerbread house party
• Active in Cuisine for a Cause and Toasting for a Cause, annual dinners to raise funds for NapervilleCARES, which provides assistance to those in need
   

Eastern
F.A. Peabody Company
Location: Houlton, Maine
President: Christopher Anderson
Web site: http://www.fapeabody.com/

F.A. Peabody, a property and casualty insurance company and third-party administrator for mortuary trusts, has grown from 15 employees in 1988 to more than 50 representing 20 insurance companies.

Identifying the need for broadband access in rural areas, F.A. Peabody became a broadband Internet  service provider, forming Pioneer Wireless Network in 2001. Today, it offers telecom services to even the smallest rural communities in Northern Maine.

Distinctions:

• Rewarded employees with bonuses and gifts in  2006 as part of its wellness program to encourage healthy lifestyles
• Keeps the accounting books for Vital Pathways, an organization that works on areawide community health issues
• Spends $26,000 annually on education for its employees beyond continuing education licensing requirements
   

Southeastern
FACES DaySpa
Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
President: Patricia Owen
Web site: http://www.facesdayspa.com/

Patricia Owen has guided FACES  DaySpa from its inception as a small boutique specializing in Estee Lauder cosmetics to its current status as a nationally renowned day spa profiled in major publications. When it opened in 1983, FACES boutique featured Hilton Head Island's first Estee Lauder cosmetics department. In 1988, Owen reinvented her business, jumping into the professional skin care industry.

Today, FACES competes with the best world-class spas. The company is located in a 3,000-square-foot facility with six treatment rooms, a beauty boutique, and its own private line of skin care, cosmetic, and bath and body products. It has a client base of nearly 2,500 customers.

Distinctions:

• Named five times as one of the nation's fastest-growing spas by   Salon Today magazine
• Finalist for the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award at the Global Salon Business Awards 2006
• Donates $10,000 a year worth of services and spa packages for silent auctions and fundraisers