Playing to a nearly sold-out audience for another year, the 2024 Martin County Business Awards take place Dec. 13 at Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa.
Emceed again by crowd favorite Tania Rogers, WPTV news anchor, the celebration of outstanding companies and business leaders culminates with the crowning of the Charlene Hoag Leadership Award. This esteemed honor, named after a beloved former Martin County commissioner, will remain a secret until the event. However, the other seven winners—announced in advance—prominently showcase the ingenuity and variety of the local manufacturing community.
Winners include:
- Headquarters of the Year – Paradise Air Fresh in Palm City, which creates original fragrances for auto and home use and excels in international markets.
- Company to Watch – Grind Hard Ammo, which re-shored manufacturing of ammunition with innovative technology and a nearly $90 million capital investment in Stuart and Indiantown.
- Business Excellence – Pursuit Aviation, with 57 years in business and multiple locations in Martin County, manufactures precision parts for aircraft components, working closely with the Department of Defense.
- Newcomer of the Year – TrenchBadger, a Stuart company whose owner invented a handheld, gas-powered device that revolutionized the accuracy and efficiency with which trenches are dug.
- Manufacturer of the Year – Value Tool & Engineering of Palm City creates precision parts, tools, and fixtures for aircraft—including nearly every U.S. military and NATO aircraft in use.
- Entrepreneur of the Year – Peter Morello, Sr. of CIS Security Solutions, which creates solutions to retail theft.
- Youth Entrepreneur of the Year – Parker Smith of Smith Marine Services launched and operates his own company, washing and detailing boats and providing captain services, earning his Yamaha mechanic certification at age 16!
A big thank you to our sponsors, including presenting sponsor Bank of America and gold sponsors Ashley Capital and Indian River State College Foundation as well as Martin County, City of Stuart, Village of Indiantown, ADDiTEC, Adult & Pediatric Institute, EW Consultants, NAI South, Printera, Business Flare, Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPAs and Advisors, Cleveland Clinic, Sandhill Cove, Rehmann, C&W Technologies, FPL, HBK CPAs & Consultants, Indiantown Chamber of Commerce, Martin County REALTORS of the Treasure Coast, Mattamy Homes USA, Seacoast Bank, Special Forces Restoration & Construction, Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce, Tami Karol Insurance, TC Bank, Treasure Coast Urgent Care, Water Pointe Realty Group, Waste Management, Chase Bank, Express Employment Professionals, IM Group, Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, Manpower South Florida, Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, Project LIFT, Recovery Insurance Adjusters, South Florida Manufacturers Association, SouthState Bank.
