Solar States just won the Chamber of Commerce’s second ImpactPHL Award

The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia announced yesterday the winners of its 35th annual Excellence Awards.

The awards honor small and mid-sized companies “making a positive impact in the 11-county region.”

Solar panel installation and education company Solar States, LLC is taking home the Chamber’s second-ever ImpactPHL Award, which is supported by the impact investing advocacy organization by the same name and is meant to celebrate social enterprises in the region. Last year, web design firm Message Agency took home the inaugural award.

Solar States shows both a “commitment to social responsibility” and is a B Corp, which allowed it to bypass the nomination requirement of taking ImpactPHL’s Best for PHL assessment, according to the Chamber’s media and marketing specialist, Danielle Hagerty.

Other reasons for its win include its mission of sustainability, its workforce development programs for disadvantaged youth and its contribution of jobs to the Philadelphia region.

In the past year, Solar States has gotten a bunch of attention for its solar installation training program and expanded into Philly’s suburbs by offering tiered bulk packages to communities.

Here are the other winners:

• Small Business Person of the Year — Frank Iannucci (Conshohocken)
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year — Mike Maher, Houwzer
• Customer Service Excellence of the Year — Green Lawn Fertilizing/Green Pest Solutions (West Chester)
• Family-Owned Business of the Year — Robertson’s Flowers and Events
  
• Manufacturer of the Year — Nielsen-Kellerman Co. (Boothwyn)
• Non-Profit Organization of the Year — Legacy Youth Tennis & Education
• Professional Services Excellence of the Year — Partner’s Consulting (Broomall)
• Strategic Growth Excellence of the Year — Turn5 (Malvern)
• Technological Excellence of the Year — Asset-Map, LLC

The winners were nominated by their peers throughout the region. All awardees will be celebrated at SugarHouse Casino on Nov. 9.