Pictured from left are James Conroy, NYBDC; Shannon Mantaro, Partnership for Community Development; Gwen Werner, Parry’s; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA.
(Hamilton, NY – May 2014) One local business was honored Monday with an SBA Small Business Excellence Award at the DoubleTree Hotel in East Syracuse.
The Partnership for Community Development selected Parry’s Hardware, owned by Gwen and Evan Werner in Hamilton. Parry’s, Hamilton’s modern-day general store, started in 1979 as a hardware store in Oriskany Falls owned by Bill and Becky Parry.
Since its inception, the Parrys had five daughters, expanded to larger locations twice and added or modified product lines besides hardware, such as a bookstore, Radio Shack franchise, housewares, office supplies, bulk and local food, equipment rental and a greenhouse.
Most notable was Parry’s move to the old Grand Union location in Hamilton in 2011, quadrupling the store size to 24,000 square feet.
In 2013, the Werners, the Parrys daughter and son-in-law, purchased the business.
Small businesses are selected for the Excellence Awards based on their company’s longevity, innovation, sales growth, increased employment, ability to overcome adversity or community contributions.
“The 16th Annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon gives us the opportunity to celebrate our business community leaders for their small business successes,” said Bernard J. Paprocki, Syracuse district director. “Entrepreneurs find success not by avoiding failure but by dreaming the impossible and taking chances. From Main Street stores to cyber merchants and all the companies in between, small businesses keep our economy innovative and vibrant.”
The U.S. Small Business Administration and the New York Business Development Corporation hosted the 16th annual luncheon to recognize the achievements of local small businesses.