Recap • Saturday, August 1, 2026 • Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
2026 Montgomery Small BusinessAwards
Presented By: Access Montgomery, The City of Montgomery, Montgomery County Commission, and SBOSS Montgomery
The Night
More than 600 nominations. 29 finalists. 11 award categories. One night dedicated to the entrepreneurs building Montgomery.
On August 1, Montgomery’s small business community gathered at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts for the Second Annual MGM Small Business Awards — an evening created to recognize the entrepreneurs, innovators, employers, and community builders helping move our city forward.
The room was filled with business owners, families, elected officials, community leaders, partners, and champions of small business. But at the center of it all were Montgomery’s entrepreneurs.
Because behind every storefront, new hire, expansion, product launch, and big idea is someone who made the decision to build here.
And that deserves to be celebrated.
Why It Matters
Celebrating Montgomery Small Business
The MGM Small Business Awards were created to recognize more than business growth alone. They celebrate the resilience, creativity, leadership, innovation, service, and determination it takes to start a business, grow a team, serve a community, and keep going.
This year, more than 600 nominations were submitted across 11 award categories. Following an independent review and scoring process, that field was narrowed to 29 finalists representing some of Montgomery’s outstanding small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The evening featured two groups of awards.
The Small Business of the Year Awards recognized businesses across four stages of organizational growth — from entrepreneurs operating with one or two employees to established companies creating significant economic impact.
The Excellence Awards recognized businesses and entrepreneurs demonstrating distinction through innovation, technology, community impact, leadership, entrepreneurship, and long-term service.
By the end of the evening, 12 Montgomery businesses had been recognized across 11 award categories.
The 2026 Honorees
Meet the 2026 MGM Small Business Award Winners
Twelve businesses. Eleven categories. Each honoree rose from a field of more than 600 nominations through an independent review and scoring process.
Community Impact Award
Emerging Small Business of the Year
Innovative Small Business of the Year
Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year
Small Business of the Year: Founder's Flame
Small Business of the Year: Thriving Venture
Small Business of the Year: Rising Force
Small Business of the Year: Enterprise Excellence
Legacy Small Business of the Year
Legacy Small Business of the Year
Tech Small Business of the Year
Young Professional-Owned Small Business of the Year
The Ceremony
Watch the Official 2026 Awards Ceremony
The applause, the reactions, the proud families, the connections, and the moments in between made August 1 a night to remember.
Now, we’re taking you back inside the room.
Watch the official 2026 MGM Small Business Awards recap and relive a night dedicated to the businesses that make us Montgomery.
With Gratitude
Thank You, Montgomery
An event of this scale is only possible through community.
Thank you to the City of Montgomery Department of Economic Development, the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County Commission, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, SBOSS team, judges, sponsors, community partners, elected officials, volunteers, and every guest who joined us in celebrating Montgomery’s entrepreneurs.
And most importantly, thank you to every entrepreneur who continues to choose Montgomery as the place to start, build, grow, and dream.
Your businesses create opportunities.
Your ideas move industries forward.
Your investments strengthen our neighborhoods.
And your stories are helping write Montgomery’s next chapter.
Congratulations to all of the 2026 MGM Small Business Awards nominees, finalists, and recipients.
This is Montgomery small business. And we’re just getting started.
