The Manna Design team received a call today letting them know they had made the Business Journal’s Top 25 List of Veteran Owned Businesses in the Philadelphia Region. The Philadelphia Business Journal added the category to their popular Top 25 Guides this year. The list was compiled and published in time for release the week of Veteran’s Day as a special tribute to Veterans in the area.
…why not also recognize and honor company owners who have bravely served our country in the military?
According to Sharon Oliver, the researcher responsible for creating the lists, “During my 2011 research, I came across a veteran-owned businesses website, which featured a searchable directory of VOBs in the country. I thought to myself, of all the companies that we recognize including women- and minority-owned businesses, why not also recognize and honor company owners who have bravely served our country in the military?”
After approval to add the category to their annual collection of Top 25 Lists, she began the long process of researching and contacting eligible companies. The resulting list recognizes and honors a total of 29 Veteran owned businesses in the Greater Philadelphia Region.
Robert Harrington, Owner of Manna Design Works was surprised but very appreciative of being included. Robert commented, “I remember answering some questions for Sharon months ago about my service and the business in general. When she explained what the list was going to represent, I was happy to be interviewed but didn’t expect to be included. There are a lot of great businesses owned by Veterans in the region; many older and more established, so I basically forgot about it. Getting the call today was a great surprise; especially coming right after Veteran’s Day.”
Manna qualified because of Robert’s service in the Army, which included over 5 years on active duty and several more years in the active reserves. He started his military service at the Defense Language Institute; regarded as one of the finest schools in the nation for foreign language studies. After an intense one and a half years of full-immersion classes studying the Czech and Slovak languages, he graduated fluent in both, with high honors. The remainder of his service time was spent as a Sergeant in the Military Intelligence field. He worked in direct support of national security efforts as a voice intercept operator, then translator and later as a member of an interrogation unit.
This is the second Top 25 Listing Manna has been honored with in the last couple months. In September, they were included in the Philadelphia Top 25 Web Design Agencies list for the fourth time in the four years the category has been published.
View the entire list below. Please be sure to consider them for future needs in their areas of expertise.
Lexus of Cherry Hill 856-727-1111 www.lexusofcherryhill.com
Insinger Machine Co. 215-624-4800 www.insingermachine.com
McGuckin & Pyle 610-269-9770 www.mcg-pyle.com
Electro Soft Inc. 215-654-0701 www.electrosoftInc.com
Thomas Miller & Co. 215-822-3118 www.thomasmillercoffee.com
MasterCraft Kitchens & Bathrooms 215-362-5344 www.mastercraft-kb.com
JD Bravo Co. Inc. 484-320-7600 www.jdbravocompany.com
Storti Quality Consulting Inc. 215-657-0837 www.storticonsulting.net
Forsythe Confidential Investigations 610-827-9281 www.ispyfci.com
Manna Design Works 856-881-7650 www.mannadesignworks.com
Support Homeless Veterans Inc. 267-294-1191 www.supporthomelessveterans.org
Windshield Wonder 856-725-3905 www.windshieldwonderllc.com
BDF Industrial Fastners 856-963-1600 www.bdfindustrial.com
FirstLight Home Care 215-491-2525 www.bucks.firstlighthomecare.com
Lance Surety Bond Associates Inc. 877-514-5146 www.suretybonds.org
Phoenix 21 Cleaning Service 215-303-0622 www.phoenix21LLC.com
Reporting Associates 856-795-2323 www.reportingassociates.com
Skip The Warehouse 561-291-8397 www.skipthewarehouse.com
Ortiz Interpretation 484-366-7084 www.ortizinterpretation.com
Piccone Financial Associates 856-630-0220 www.anthonypiccone.com
Rolling Game Station 610-906-7299 www.rollinggamestation.com
Brian Kitson and Associates 484-319-2537 www.kitsonconsulting.com
Global HR Consulting and Immigration Svcs. 609-970-2471 www.ghrci.com
J Dog Junk Removal 877-994-4327 www.jdogjunkremoval.com
Jim’s Jarhead Jerky 609-634-4332 www.jimsjarheadjerky.com
PPC Promotional Products Co. 215-343-3499 www.promoprod.com
Symmetry Consulting 610-637-9492 www.symmetryconsulting.org
The SpoutOff Rain Gutter Co. 610-420-0378 www.thespoutoff.com
Veteran Computer Consultants 484-919-400 www.veterancomputerconsultants.com