More Than $5 Million

Steven Sandlin 

Steven M. Sandlin
Pay-Less Pharmacy Group, Decatur

This Decatur business began 31 years ago with one employee in a single location and has grown to $18 million in annual sales with three Decatur locations, employing nine pharmacists, 13 pharmacy technicians and 25 support personnel.
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Nominated by John Seymour, president and chief executive officer, Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.

Jerry Beasley 

Jerry G. Beasley
Beasley Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ozark
What began as a start-up business with one employee in a 900-square-foot facility now consists of 15 employees in a 20,200-square-foot facility with sales in excess of $6 million.
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Nominated by Jeanette Reeves, executive director, Ozark Area Chamber of Commerce.

John Marshall 

Bryan K. Owens and John B. Marshall
Unclaimed Baggage Center, Scottsboro
This store is the only one of its kind in the world. Nearly 7,000 items are stocked daily in this retail complex. The vast majority of the merchandise comes from baggage which, after at least 90 days of tracking by the airlines, is declared unclaimed and then purchased by the center.
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Nominated by Rick Roden, president and chief executive officer of The Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. 

$1 Million to $5 Million

Jo Ellen Jordan
Cook & Sons Ace Hardware Inc., Albertville
Jordan is the third generation to operate the store, which her grandfather, mother and father established in 1959. The store became an Ace dealership in 1967. The judges cited this family hardware store for a significant increase in sales over last year, excellent community service and unique and entertaining advertisements while earning national recognition from its corporate headquarters for this Albertville dealer.
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Nominated by Jennifer Palmer, president, Albertville Chamber of Commerce.

Mickey Gee 

John Gee 

The Retailer of the Year judges cited this 57-year-old, third-generation family business for its recent expansion, its best year ever in sales and profits and for its active promotion of retail. The late Taylor Gee, father of Mickey and grandfather of Michael and John, opened the original Pants Store in 1950 as a pants wholesaler.The flagship location remains on Leeds’ main street with two additional stores – one on Third Avenue West in Birmingham and a store in Crestline Village in Mountain Brook, which opened in 2006.

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Nominated by Tricia Ford, executive director, Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, and Michael Gee, vice president, Taylor Co. Inc. 

Michael Ray Jones
Mike’s Merchandise, Guntersville
Jones started his company 25 years ago with one store in Guntersville, now he has four Mike’s Merchandise stores in north Alabama and one franchise Mike’s Merchandise in Auburn. The other cities with Mike's stores are Huntsville, Decatur and Muscle Shoals. The Retailer of the Year judges
cited this bargain retailer for the solid expansion of his business, promoting the retail industry to students and the company’s use of technology.

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Nominated by Virginia Bagwell, Guntersville.

Less Than $1 Million

Shawn Beitelspacher 

Shawn Beitelspacher
Southern Sole, Tuscaloosa

The Retailer of the Year judges cited this specialty walking and running fitness store in its first year of business above all others in its category for its unique approach to service, targeted public relations and concern for the community.
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Nominated by Lauren Skinner, Ph.D., assistant professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Anne A. Appleby
South Baldwin Regional Medical Center Auxiliary Gift Shop, Foley 
Appleby is the first volunteer ever selected as a Retailer of the Year. The Retailer of the Year judges cited the volunteer manager of this gift shop for almost doubling sales since she took over in 2004, with sales increasing 30 percent in the past year alone. And she did this all as a volunteer, logging more than 4,000 volunteer hours in the past four years.
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Nominated by Fran Barr, South Baldwin Regional Medical Center Auxiliary.

Montez Oudenaarden
My Favorite Things, Monroeville
During the past year, this five-year-old business moved to Monroeville’s downtown square, even though the rent and utilities were more costly than at its former location off the town’s main street. The risk paid off because business has seen a dramatic increase. “At least once a week now, a person who never heard of us before walks through the doors,” Oudenaarden said.
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Nominated by Sandy Smith, executive director, Monroe County Chamber of Commerce.