We Won 2006 Rookie of the Year Business Award!
Article in the Bradenton Herald Tribune 6-9-06
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thisThree small businesses pick up awards
TILDE HERRERA
Herald Staff Writer
MANATEE - Ask Bob Barr how he's doing most days and he'll likely answer, "fine."
On Thursday, however, he felt "fabulous."
Barr's peers recognized his company, Bitdiddle Inc., on Thursday morning during the Small Businesses of the Year Awards held by the Longboat Key-Lido Key-St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber presented awards for rookie of the year, for companies with more than 11 employees and for those with 10 or less, the category in which Bitdiddle won.
"It's very satisfying that people we've done business with chose to honor us this way," Barr said.
The business got its unusual name when Barr searched the Internet for another word for "geek." Bitdiddle is a fictitious computer nerd who attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Barr said.
The company bills itself as the information technology department for small businesses that don't have one. Services include network infrastructure, software selection, and security issues. Its clients typically operate between four and 50 computers.
"We specialize in that size," Barr said. "We want to stay in that market. That's where most of the businesses are and most of the jobs are created."
Barr, along with partners Jane Barr and Robert Stagner, launched Bitdiddle 3½ years ago.
The Plumbing Place, a Sarasota wholesale and retail plumbing supplier owned by John Smithman, won in the category for companies with more than 11 workers.
The chamber bestowed Iguana Have Fun with its Rookie of the Year award. Co-owner Carlos Cardenas, unfortunately, was on his way to the awards breakfast when he received a phone call.
"I had a customer I had to take care of this morning," Cardenas said, referring to the sparkplug-related problem of one of his scooters. "It's not one of those things that happens a lot."
In its second year of operation, Iguana Have Fun, a scooter sales and rental company, reflects Cardenas' attitude.
"I worked in health care for 15 years and decided I wanted to do something for myself and do something fun in a place as beautiful as this is," he said. Originally from Colombia, Cardenas moved to Indiana in the early 1990s before settling in the area in late 2004 to open Iguana Have Fun with partner Guillermo Gonzalez.
About 80 percent of business comes from the rental of motor scooters, bicycles, kayaks and jogging strollers, with sales accounting for the difference.
"It's very challenging," he said of being a business owner. "You definitely have a lot more flexibility. You call all the shots. It's good but at the same time, it's also stressful."
Managing business in a highly seasonal market has been a learning experience. But the scenery, community and weather make the area a great place to conduct business, he said.
"It's an adventure," Cardenas said. "We just take everyday as an adventure."
It was the 13th annual Stanford Group Co./Vollmer Financial Group Small Businesses of the Year Awards.
Article in Longboat Key Observer June 23, 2005
Awards from LBK Chamber of Commerce Rookie Small Business Person of the Year
Article in the Longboat Key Observer: February 2005
Article in the Longboat Key News: February 2005
1st Place Winners Rookie Business of the Year 2006
2nd Place Winners of Rookie Business of the Year 2005