Promoting Excellence in Small Business

Two of the eleven winners of the Chamber's 27th annual Excellence Awards Honoring Small Businesses are featured in this issue: Small Business Person of the Year, Sirena Moore, Elohim Cleaning Contractors, Inc.; and Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Patrick McKenna, DMi Partners, Inc. Be sure to look for additional winners in upcoming issues.

Small Business Person of the Year, Sirena Moore, Elohim Cleaning Contractors, Inc.

At the age of seventeen, Sirena Moore, a self-motivated, highly ambitious mother of twin girls, entered the corporate world by doing administrative work for industry leaders such as Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, Advest and Palm, Inc. Her objective: obtain the skills necessary to fulfill her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

By age 21, with a business plan but no start-up capital, she joined with her father and brother to launch Elohim Cleaning Contractors, Inc., a full-service construction cleaning firm that provides a wide range of services to general contractors and construction management firms throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

Armed with marketing, financial planning, organizational and managerial skills from her previous work, this fledgling entrepreneur managed to grow her business revenue by 210% in one year. Her strong faith, family bonds, and ability to operate debt-free have been her catalysts for growth. By 2008, her multi-million dollar business was ranked eighth in Philadelphia's Top Minority Businesses, employing 83 minority men and women from very diverse backgrounds.

Her success in managing one of the up-and-coming small businesses in the region earned her respect and visibility within the business community and has allowed this young entrepreneur to fulfill a childhood dream of gracing the cover of Black Enterprise Magazine in 2009. Now 28, she serves as one of the youngest GPCC Small Business Board members, co-chairing the Diversity Committee, and is an active member of the Urban League Young Professionals.

Moore is a strong advocate of programs addressing issues such as teen pregnancy, violence prevention, financial empowerment and career development. She sits on the board of "We are S.E.E.D.S.," which provides an array of services to inner city young women.

Her lifestyle and accomplishments have been an inspiration to her peers and the young people she serves. Most recently, she created SirenaSpeaks, LLC, to assist other small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams by encouraging and empowering them through her motivational talks. Her innovative techniques and ideas continue to be invaluable assets to her business and her community.

Incorporated: 2002 | Bristol, PA | elohimcleaningcontractors.com

Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Patrick McKenna, DMi Partners, Inc

A successful entrepreneur, Ivy Leaguer, community volunteer, family man and sought after speaker on business, marketing and e-commerce issues, Patrick McKenna, now 30, started DMi Partners in 2003, determined to change the landscape of digital marketing.

After earning a degree in public policy from Harvard, McKenna returned to Philadelphia because of his yearning for cheese steaks and to launch his unique ‘shared growth’ business model – for a performance marketing agency focused on getting paid for producing results, rather than for providing services. DMi builds and manages a company's website, connecting its clients with their target customers. DMi is accountable for their clients' bottom line, getting paid only when its efforts generate a customer who buys a product.

The company delivers dramatic results for clients across a wide range of industries including retail, telecom and financial services. Clients include J.G. Wentworth, Tasty Baking, and Mitchell & Ness – which grew its gross revenue by 76% within the first four months. As for DMi's own success, it produced revenue increases of 112% in two recent years and doubled its staff to 42 employees.

Market innovator McKenna is steeped in technological innovation, social awareness and environmental conservation. He promoted a green workplace before it was trendy to do so and encourages his employees to become active in the community through programs such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and the YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School.

His sharp, humorous and current observations on digital marketing, non-traditional advertising, performance campaigns, entrepreneurialism, web analytics, and more have been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, eCommerce Times, Advertising Week and other publications.

His company’s efforts on behalf of its clients to drive brand recognition, bottom-line profitability and long-term growth have secured awards, growth, employee stability, and two new divisions in Florida and California.

Incorporated: 2003 | Philadelphia, PA. 19107 | dmipartners.com