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Jessie’s Restaurant and Catering received the January Small Business of the Month award. Pictured, left to right, are Darlene Johnson, Renasant Bank vice president; Terry Bennett, Renasant Bank Valdosta market president; Mikki Hudson, owner of Jessie’s Restaurant and Catering; and Will Kemp, Renasant Bank vice president. The monthly award is presented to a Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce small business that has less than 20 employees.
“The Small Business of the Month, unlike the Leading Business of
the Week, is judged by a panel of judges based on xed criteria,” said Harris. “This includes the number of employees, staying power, and community involvement.”
Harris said businesses are eligible
if they are a Chamber member in good standing, have less than 20 employees, are actively involved in the community, display staying power, and have been in business for more than two years.
“This program allows the Chamber to single out the best of the best,” said Harris. “The winners receive recognition through the Chamber’s website, social media posts, and traditional media publications.”
Renasant is proud to recognize local small businesses each month and sees it as a way to give back to the community.
“This program allows us to recognize the work of small businesses throughout the year,” Bennett said.
“I believe it will help us engage with
small businesses, which represents the backbone of this community and is part of Renasant’s vision to be advisers for those businesses.”
Bennett said that he looks forward
to meeting each of the winners and strengthening relationships with small businesses throughout the community.
For more than 100 years, Renasant Bank has been serving communities throughout the Southeast, including Valdosta when it purchased Heritage Bank of the South in 2014. Renasant Bank provides the products and services of a large regional bank along with the personal care and attention of a community bank.
“Banking is all about building relationships,” Bennett said. “We are
a commercially focused bank, but we nd that people still want that personal interaction when starting a business.”
Bennett, who has been in the banking industry for more than 34 years, said he sees a lot of innovative growth in the Valdosta and Lowndes County area.
“Watching these businesses grow is
rewarding; some have even expanded nationally,” Bennett said. “As a banker, you get to see the growth, and you understand that they started small and continued to expand. Many of these businesses brought innovation and made those ideas work here in Valdosta. I think we will continue to see this expansion in our area.”
The rst Small Business of the Month winner was Jessie’s Restaurant
and Catering, located in downtown Valdosta. Owner Mikki Hudson purchased Jessie’s in 2009 and continues to transform the restaurant and catering operation into her vision.
“Mikki has worked very hard to expand and succeed, even going as far as to move in above the restaurant so that she can be available to her customers seven days a week,” said Harris. “She is very involved in the community and sits on the Valdosta State University Alumni Board of Directors. The Chamber was very proud to have Jessie’s as the rst recipient of the Small Business of the Month award.”
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