Mayor Greg Nickels announced this year’s Ten Mayor’s Small Business Award winners, who were celebrated at an awards ceremony at Town Hall on Oct. 13. This year’s winners of the 2009 Small Business Awards include: Shen Consulting and Schemata Workshop. For twenty-five years, ten small businesses in Seattle have received special recognition for their accomplishments. Past recipients included Uwajimaya (1984).
A decade ago, CEO and founder of Shen Consulting, Albert Shen, started his company with $1000 of his own money. Shen Consulting is a Program and Project Planning, Design and Construction Management company, specializing in construction management and inspection, transportation engineering, and quality control. Christine Chen of Chen Communications, writes, “Today, he is doubling revenue in a recession, plans to hire more people and will hit the $1 million revenue mark in 2010. This small business, started by the son of Chinese immigrants to go beyond the glass ceiling in his industry, has hit ‘the big time’ … Shen Consulting helped complete projects such as Sea-Tac Airport’s Third Runway, the Airport Light Rail Link, and the Parking Lot Floor Count, which uses video cameras to inform drivers about the number of available spots and eases airport ‘parking rage’. Currently, Shen Consulting, Inc. leads two major projects for the Port of Seattle: the 2008-2011 Airfield Capital Development Program and the Sea-Tac Airport Consolidated Rental Car Facility. The Mayor praised Shen Consulting for its commitment to deliver on time and on budget while passing on savings to its clients through virtual workspaces and overhead cost-cutting whenever possible. Also notable is the CEO and founder’s own community involvement: Shen sits on three boards, including the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as well as organizations that support minority-owned businesses and Asian professionals, such as SCIDpda (Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority).” Congratulations Albert!
Schemata Workshop, owned by husband and wife team Mike Mariano and Grace Kim, founded their full-service architectural practice, Schemata Workshop, in 2004, after twelve years working in Seattle and Chicago. Schemata Workshop’s design work reflects a simple, restrained elegance, material integrity, and is informed by the firm’s clients, the surrounding environment and existing conditions. Open communication, employee mentorship, and collaboration with area firms are important. Recognizing the role and potential for the positive impact of their practice, Schemata Workshop works with clients to develop communities that emphasize social, ecological and economic sustainability.
