The owner of an eclectic Columbia bookstore and the blind owner of a snack shop will be among the county's first recipients of the newly established Equal Business Opportunity Awards at a banquet next week.
The eight award recipients were chosen from a pool of about 70 nominations, said Patrice Cheatham, a business development specialist for the Howard County Economic Development Authority, the sponsor of the Equal Business Opportunity Awards Program.
The ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Columbia Inn in Columbia.
Earl Saunders, who chairs the county's Equal Business Opportunity Committee and headed a committee that selected the award recipients, said: "We see this as a significant program that will help create interest in equal business opportunities in the county."
Those chosen to receive the award include:
* Marsha Berman, owner of Cover to Cover Bookstore in Columbia. Mr. Saunders said Ms. Berman was selected for setting an example of the accomplishments a woman business owner could achieve. "The bookstore is unique and now has a place of prominence in the community," he said.
* Gene Hubbard, president of HUB Consulting, a Howard County-based computer software consulting firm. Mr. Saunders said Mr. Hubbard was selected for his involvement in community activities, including promoting equal business opportunities.
* Eugene Penn, a Columbia resident and owner of Gene's Snack Bar, which Mr. Penn has operated for 17 years in the county office building in Ellicott City. Mr. Penn is a licensed manager under the state's vending program for the blind, which establishes business opportunities for the blind. "He quietly went about building a successful business, but has never been recognized," Mr. Saunders said.
* Donald Manekin, senior vice president of Columbia-based Manekin Corp. He has helped small and minority-owned businesses in the county with guidance on commercial leasing issues and other questions about operating a business, Mr. Saunders said. "Donald is untiring," he said. "He's always there to resolve issues and make things happen."
* Harold Williams, a Columbia resident and director of minority procurement for Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. He is to be
honored for his record of promoting opportunities for minority-owned businesses.
* C. Vernon Gray, a Howard County council member. He earned an award for promoting opportunities for minority-owned businesses and for addressing equal business opportunity issues at the government level.
* Charles I. Ecker, the Howard County executive. He is to be recognized for launching the Equal Business Opportunity Award Program and his support for efforts to promote equal business opportunity in Howard County.
The eighth recipient will be a "surprise recipient" who will be announced at the luncheon, Ms. Cheatham said.
She said that the economic development authority planned to bestow the awards annually as a way to recognize and promote diversity in the workplace.
Tickets to the awards luncheon are $25. Reservations: 313-6500.