by BEDFORD, Va. — Upholstery manufacturer Sam Moore has received a top honor from the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce that celebrates both the company’s economic impact and what it gives back to the community.
At the chamber’s recent annual Excellence in Business Awards Gala, the company won the Large Business of the Year Award. It was one of about 20 companies nominated for six categories.
The award honors a company with 51 or more employees that has made what the chamber considers a significant contribution to the growth of the community. It also recognizes the integrity of a company’s business operations and its active interest and participation in civic and benevolent activities in the area.
“Sam Moore truly encompasses a winner for our Excellence in Business Awards,” Kayla Waller, director of marketing and events for the chamber told Home News Now. “The Bedford area is lucky to have a business who cares so much about their employees, and the Bedford Chamber is proud to have Sam Moore as a member business.”
The chamber said the company’s long list of contributions to the community includes:
+ An annual December food drive for the Bedford Christian Ministries that helps stock its food pantry
+ The donation of a full room of furniture to Court Appointed Special Advocates to support children and mothers suffering abuse and/or neglect in the Bedford area.
+ The donation of fabric to Compass Academy for educational purposes.
+ The donation of funds for tornado relief to families suffering damage to their homes and personal property in Bedford.
+ The donation of a chair to a raffle for the Bedford SPCA to help raise money for a no-kill animal shelter.
+ The annual donation of chairs to teachers of the year in Bedford County.
+ A supply drive for local troops serving in Africa in partnership with the Bedford Elk Lodge for Flag Day.
“This list is just a piece of their community contributions,” Waller said.
The company was established in 1943 and has been based in Bedford since 1960. It was acquired by Martinsville, Virginia-based Hooker Furnishings in 2007. According to the chamber, it employs about 230 area employees.
