Martin County Business Awards Celebrate 2026 Local Leaders and Innovators
We’re days away from the county’s biggest annual honoring he innovation, entrepreneurship and the creative marketplace solutions that our local business community consistently produces.
The 2026 Martin County Business Awards ceremony will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Oct. 26 at Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa in Jensen Beach.
This is a special year as the Business Development Board of Martin County is celebrating our 35th anniversary in operation—and an awards tradition that dates back 25 years.
We’re thankful for the generosity of our sponsors, particularly presenting sponsor Bank of America.
A big “thank you” also goes to our Gold sponsors, Ashley Capital, Cleveland Clinic, FPL, TD Bank and C&W Technologies, and Silver sponsors, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, EW Consultants, Hanwha Power, Indiantown Chamber of Commerce, Mattamy Homes, SouthState Bank, Sandhill Cove, Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce, Value Tool & Engineering, and Waterpointe Realty Group.
Bronze sponsors Choice Waste of Florida, Daher, HBK CPAs & Consultants, Hinckley Yacht Services, FNBCC, Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, Merrill Lynch Wealth Advisors, Paradise Air Fresh, SLC Commercial and Tami Karol Insurance.
Patron sponsors include Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce, Manpower of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast, Palm City Chamber of Commerce, South Florida Manufacturing Association and Treasure Coast Psychiatry.
We’re particularly grateful for the members of our Investors Council, including Acquisition Experts, Colliers, Eclipse Landscape Architecture and Planning, Evergreen Private Care, Express Employment Professionals, Indian River State College, Marine Industries of the Treasure Coast, Martin County REALTORS of the Treasure Coast, MidFlorida Credit Union, Seacoast Bank, and Truist Bank.
Award Winners
A big shoutout of appreciation goes to the local leaders who donated their time to serve on our selection committee and sift through more than 60 nominations to carefully choose this year’s winners.
We’re also grateful for the past winners of the beloved Charlene Hoag Leadership Award, who choose the 2026 winner—an honor that remains a closely guarded secret until the moment it’s revealed at the luncheon.
Business Excellence Award goes to Peter Stolper, CEO and Jana Stopler Executive Vice President of Stuart-based Seatorque Control Systems, which designs and manufactures marine inboard driveline systems that are renowned worldwide for helping a variety of vessels reduce noise, drag, engine load, fuel burn and maintenance costs. Based in Martin County for 36 years, the company partners in workforce training programs, advocates for environmental sustainability and supports numerous local nonprofits.
Company to Watch is Yellowpine Truss Corp., which opened a facility in Indiantown earlier this year and specializes in manufacturing trusses in a highly precise, streamlined process that ensures increased strength, reliability and flexibility for a variety of projects.
Entrepreneur of the Year, Frank Poma, has for more than 25 years operated various local businesses, employing more than 100 people in companies that manufacture high-end glass and metal railing systems, perforate metal designs, patented structural precast concrete and steel wall systems, to name a few.
Headquarters of the Year goes to STS Aviation Group. Headquartered in Jensen Beach, the company is acclaimed for excellence in aircraft services, engineering and manufacturing support. It’s grown from a regional provider into a global aerospace enterprise serving commercial airlines, military organizations, aircraft manufacturers and aviation operators around the world.
Innovation in Workforce Development, our newest award category, goes to Angela Hoffman and the Martin Chamber Foundation’s Career Connect program.
Founded by Angela, Career Connect offers concierge-style recruitment and training programs for jobseekers in underserved areas of the county while teaming with employers on placement and training opportunities to incentivize hirings.
Manufacturer of the Year is Tara Lordi, founder and CEO of Weedoo Boats, which opened a facility this year in Martin County to manufacturer its array of work vessels, all dedicated to removing invasives from waterways without the use of harmful herbicides.
Newcomer of the Year is Power Systems Manufacturing, a Hanwha company that supports critical power generation infrastructure through its innovative turbine upgrades. It moved back to Martin County after originating here in the 1990s, investing more than $17 million in capital investment and creating more than 100 jobs in skilled engineering and manufacturing.
Youth Entrepreneur of the Year is Julian Delvalle, 16, whose company, Flicks by JD, combines his love of sports and showcases his photography skills and is defined by his distinct editing style. He also works as a camp counselor over the summer for Martin County PAL.
An impressive group indeed! We hope you’ve already reserved your seat so you can join the celebration. This event has sold out for the last seven years in a row and only a few tickets remain. Please contact me at 772-221-1380 or tmcdonald@bdbmc.org for more.