Sears Appliance & Hardware store receives small business award

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- The Michigan Small Business Development Center is honoring a Sears Appliance & Hardware store located in Big Rapids, Mich., with its 2013 Best Small Business Award for creating jobs, increasing sales and improving business strategy. The retailer was one of a dozen stores chosen from more than 5,500 small businesses throughout the state that the Michigan Small Business Development Center provided confidential counseling and training to in 2013.



The Michigan Small Business Development Center helped owners Tanmy and Scott Weaver strategize how to increase consumer awareness of the store's expanded product lines, among other tactics. Since then, the Big Rapids location has effectively increased its hardware sales and grown its staff of three full-time and two part-time employees to four full-time and six part-time.



"To say that this honor means a lot to us would be an understatement," said Tammy Weaver. "We've worked so hard to get where we're at and are grateful to have the opportunity, as business owners, to allow our success to help the local community by creating more jobs."