INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR
The Innovator of the Year Award is given to the business flourishing in an innovative industry or approaching entrepreneurship in a groundbreaking manner via its products or services.
Kerry S. Harris
Angel 7 Industries L.L.C., San Antonio, TX
www.angel7industries.com
Kerry S. Harris is a multiple patent-holding inventor. Today, as director of Angel 7 Industries, the former U.S. Navy pilot and Marine Corps. officer is responsible for developing proprietary gear used by military and law enforcement officials, everything from combat helmets to tactical equipment to optical systems. Revenues climbed to $2.5 million in 2011 for the holding company and think tank.
Harris vows that Angel 7 Industries will “never produce less than the best†when it comes to designing gear such as protective eyewear. “You can look forward to continuous ‘cutting-edge’ products and innovations from Angel 7 Industries serving military, sports, medical, and consumer markets,†says the 42-year-old entrepreneur.
FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
The Family Business of the Year is awarded to the family-operated business exemplifying the combined experience and expertise needed to excel in a key industry.
Christopher and Dr. Lezli Levene Harvell
Dental Kidz L.L.C., Newark, NJ
www.dentalkidz.com
Christopher and Lezli Levene Harvell have proven a socially conscious business can be profitable and be a community asset. Their Newark, New Jersey-based pediatric dental care practice utilizes a business model that accepts payments from subsidized healthcare programs. The husband-and-wife team started Dental Kidz in 2008 intent on eliminating oral healthcare disparities in inner cities and to provide oral health education.
In 2009, the couple opened a newly constructed and modernly equipped 8,000 square foot pediatric facility. The practice has 12 employees and about 6,500 active patients. Dental Kidz has grown revenues from $476,000 in 2009 to top $1.6 million in 2011, with 2012 projections at $2 million.
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