Sarasota company named finalist of U.S. Chamber of Commerce award

Sarasota-based Children’s World Uniform Supply, under the name Children’s World and Business World, was named one of 27 finalists for a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Dream Big award.

The chamber awards were given as part of the Start. Run. Grow. week, a virtual event to celebrate small businesses that took place Oct. 18-20. More than 10,000 businesses took part in the awards this year, and over 3,000 applications were submitted marking a new record, according to a statement. 

The 27 finalists were spread across eight categories. Children’s World was one of three announced as finalists for the Community Support and Leadership award. Additionally, the school uniform store, with a storefront location on Bee Ridge Road, was one of only two finalists based in Florida. 

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is committed to supporting America’s small businesses and their ability to grow, innovate and drive our economy,” Tom Sullivan, vice president of small business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says in a release. “We are proud to host the Dream Big Awards and celebrate the very best in American small business.”

Children’s World Owners Cynthia and Tim Holliday were also able to participate in roundtable discussions the following day with fellow business owners from across the country at the chamber office in Washington, D.C. Although they weren’t named the winner of a category, the owners are still proud of how far they got. 

“We have always believed in ‘supporting the community that supports us’ and to be recognized for that at this level is very humbling,” Cynthia Holliday says. 

The company has been around since 1964 with its reach extending to families within 30 local schools.