The Waterbury Regional Chamber’s Small Business Council has announced the recipients of its 21st Annual Harold Webster Smith Awards. The annual awards were established to recognize companies and individuals that have shown achievement and excellence in small business. Nicole “Nicki” Maiorano, owner of Karmic Inspirations in Middlebury and director of Maiorano Funeral Home in Waterbury, has been named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018.
Additional recipients of the 2018 Harold Webster Smith Awards are Campion Ambulance Service Inc. in Waterbury, as Small Business of the Year; and The Siemon Company in Watertown as Manufacturer of the Year.
The 2018 breakfast will also recognize James C. Smith, son of Harold Webster Smith. Mr. Smith, who recently retired as CEO of Webster Bank, is a long-time supporter of the Waterbury Regional Chamber.
The awards breakfast will be held Friday, February 9, 2018, from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m. at the Aria Wedding & Banquet Facility at 45 Murphy Road in Prospect.
Harold Webster Smith founded First Federal Savings of Waterbury in 1935 to help people build and buy homes. He served as CEO until 1937 and as chairman of the board until 1995, when First Federal was renamed Webster Bank in his honor. Today, Webster Bank is the largest financial service organization in New England, and each year, the Chamber honors small business leaders who, like Smith, have the vision to expand, diversify, and prosper. “In honor of Harold Webster Smith’s legacy and small business inspiration, we recognize small companies and entrepreneurs who share his passion for business development and his commitment to the positive economic progress of the Waterbury region,” said Lynn Ward, president, and CEO of the Waterbury Regional Chamber. “Throughout his career, Harold Webster Smith served as an inspiration for countless small businesses. We are very pleased to recognize the many companies that share his ideals.”
James C. Smith has been a longtime champion of the Chamber and its mission to serve as a resource, network and advocate for business and economic development in the region. He provided leadership and expertise in the areas of public policy and economic and community development, and contributed to the Chamber’s efforts as a member of the Community Vision for Waterbury Task Force, addressing economic development and quality of life issues in the city during the mid-1990s. In 1999, he received the Chamber’s prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Community Award.
William J. Pizzuto, Ph.D., chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, said Jim Smith has been an “exceptionally outstanding contributor to the Greater Waterbury community, with his extraordinarily generous outreach and engagement.”
The 2018 Harold Webster Smith Entrepreneur of the Year Award recipient is Nicole “Nicki” Maiorano, the first female owner and fourth-generation director of Maiorano Funeral Home in Waterbury, as well as the owner of Karmic Inspirations, LLC, in Middlebury. For Maiorano Funeral Home, which opened in 1907, she is involved in many industry and civic organizations, including the National Funeral Directors Association; the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association; UNICO, and the American Business Women’s Association, for which she served on the board from 2010 to 2012 and was named Woman of the Year in 2012, and as a member of the Waterbury Regional Chamber Board of Directors.
In 2015, after being diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, Maiorano decided to follow her dream and opened Karmic Inspirations, a store dedicated to inspiring people to find their passion, follow their dreams, have confidence and be happy. She has encouraged, inspired and advised several women to open their own businesses, and has doubled her staff since relocating to Middlebury. Through her grassroots marketing and social media pages, she has increased attendance at her “Psychics and Sangria” events by almost 500 percent. Since opening Karmic Inspirations, she has been awarded the Golden Broom Award, received awards for her holiday window displays and the Waterbury Beautification Award for beautifying Grand Street, and, along with her family, was a recipient of The Rev. John Meany Community Impact Award from Sacred Heart High School.
Campion Ambulance Service and Bill Campion are involved in many charities and community organizations in Greater Waterbury, including the Waterbury Regional Chamber Health Care Council; United Way of Greater Waterbury; Saint Mary’s Hospital Foundation; Torrington Area Boys Scouts of America; Torrington Food Bank; Cheshire Senior Center; Toy Drive for Acts 4 Ministry Inc. of Waterbury; Toy Drive run by the Torrington Youth Service Bureau, in conjunction with the Department of Children and Families. Bill Campion has served as a past president and member of the Boys & Girls Club of Waterbury Board of Directors; past president of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Waterbury, and is a member of the Loyola Development Corporation Board of Directors.
The 2018 Harold Webster Smith Manufacturer of the Year Award recipient, The Siemon Company, at 101 Siemon Company Drive in Watertown, was founded in 1903 by Carl F. Siemon. Today, the global company focuses on providing high-quality, dependable and innovative IT infrastructure solutions that enable Local Area
Networks (LANs), Intelligent Buildings and Data Centers. As a pioneer in plastics, the company developed its first telecommunications product in 1906 that became a staple product for AT&T, as well as a variety of plastic innovations that led to the company’s well-earned and respected global reputation as a technology leader. That leadership stems from over 400 patents, several first-to-market cabling products, contributions to industry standards, and its research and development capabilities.
The Siemon Company and its employees support the mentoring program for Watertown elementary schools, were the original sponsor of Watertown High School FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), and continue to financially support the school’s FIRST® Robotics Competition. It also provided a grant to the Town of Watertown to purchase 14 acres as a recreational area for residents. Additionally, the company donated the right-of-way for the Steele Brook Greenway, featuring a trail system that will run along Steele Brook from Oakville to Smith Pond.
For tickets to the Harold Webster Smith Awards Breakfast, or to learn more about the Waterbury Regional Chamber, visit www.waterburychamber.com, call 203-757-0701, or email to info@waterburychamber.com.