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Executive's Small Business Awards – 2025
Information about the 2025 Executive's Small Business Awards event, and the winning and finalist businesses of the year.
King County Executive Shannon Braddock announced the winners of the 2025 Executive’s Small Business Awards following a celebration on October 1, honoring outstanding local businesses whose innovation, resilience, and community contributions strengthen King County’s economy and cultural life.
Winners and finalists
Learn more about the winning and finalist businesses of 2025. Each category's video player has a playlist of short videos about the businesses in the category.
To view the video for a specific business in a category playlist, click the playlist_play within the video player.
Small Business of the Year
- Able Environments LLC, Woodinville – WINNER
- EL MIXTECO AGUAS FRESCAS AND MORE, Seattle
- Triple Bottom Line Construction, Seattle
Workforce Development Small Business of the Year
- BELLDEN CAFE, Bellevue – WINNER
- Northwest Credible Messengers, LLC, Federal Way
- Project Feast, Kent
Creative Economy Small Business of the Year
- Baile Dior Studios LLC, Renton – WINNER
- BLASTFEST, Seattle
- MLK Commissary Kitchens, Seattle
Rural Small Business of the Year
- Lora Lee's Family Farm, Duvall – WINNER
- Aroma Coffee Co., Fall City
- Chickadee Bakeshop, Snoqualmie
Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year
- Abyssinia Beauty School, Renton, Kent, Kenya – WINNER
- COLE CLEANING SOLUTIONS, Skyway
- Growing Contigo LLC, Seattle
Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year
- Women In Cloud, Sammamish – WINNER
- FMS Global Strategies, LLC, Tukwila
- Noir Lux Candle Co., Seattle
Sustainable Small Business of the Year
- Recompose, Seattle – WINNER
- Puget Sound Soalr, LLC, Seattle
- Triple Bottom Line Construction, Seattle
Exporting Small Business of the Year
- O'dlee Collective, Seattle – WINNER
- FIAlab Instruments Inc, Seattle
- LILOTREE, Redmond
2025 ESBA ceremony video
Sponsors
Partners
Creators
ESBA application frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Beginning in 2025, the ESBAs have moved to an application (self-nomination) process. Please share this application with your favorite King County businesses and encourage them to apply.
No - All past winners from any year and in any category are ineligible to reapply.
However, past finalists that did not win can reapply. Review the list of past winners.
No - all applicants must be a for-profit business in operation for at least three years.
For the ESBAs, a business must have 50 or fewer employees. We do not consider revenue/income or other factors in defining "small."
Businesses may self-determine rural status. If there’s a reasonable case for your business to be considered rural, you may count yourself in. Examples include being based in a small town center surrounded by farmland or wilderness, or being located in a primarily rural area and also serving primarily rural populations.
We recognize that some areas are less clear-cut. While King County’s official regional planning maps use technical Urban Growth Area boundaries, for this award the definition is more flexible.
Yes. A business must have its primary physical location in King County to be eligible to apply. Online-only businesses must be registered to a physical address in King County.
Yes, a business may apply in more than one category. However, you will need to complete a separate application form for each entry.
Your business qualifies for both categories. We cannot advise individual businesses on the “best” category to choose if more than one applies. We suggest all applicants submit for the categories in which you’re qualified and where the business impact story is most powerful. Also consider the Small Business of the Year general category.