Finalists have been named for the 11th annual Wells Fargo Copper Cactus Awards, Southern Arizona’s oldest and largest awards program honoring excellence in small business.

The dinner and awards presentation announcing the winners will be Oct. 2 at the Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive.

Awards are given to businesses in three categories: best place to work, business growth and community service. There are three winners in each category based on the size of the firm, 1-30 employees, 31-75 employees and 76-250 employees.

Additionally, in partnership with the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, an award is given to the small business leader of the year.

This year’s finalists selected from 535 nominations submitted earlier this year, are:

Best place to work

(Businesses that encourage growth, education and development for their employees through the workplace environment or employee benefits.)

• Advanced Ceramics Research, 3292 E. Hemisphere Loop.

• American Home Mortgage,

5401 N. Oracle Road.

• Blue House Catering Inc.,

722 N. Stone Ave.

• BodyCentral Physical Therapy,

3124 N. Swan Road and

8327 N. Oracle Road.

• CAID Industries, 2275 E. Ganley Road.

• Cemrock Landscapes Inc.,

4790 S. Julian Ave.

• Cozzetti Construction Inc.,

3849 E. Calle De Soto.

• LeCroy & Milligan Associates Inc.,

4911 E. Broadway, Suite 100.

• Lizard Rock Designs LLC, 1640 E. River Road, Suite 206.

• Majestic Drywall,

3161 E. 47th St.

• Pepper Viner Homes, 5633 E. Grant Road.

• Randall & Richards Inc., 5151 E. Broadway, Suite 800.

• Ridgetop Group Inc., 6595 N. Oracle Road.

• Simpleview Inc.,

7458 N. La Cholla Blvd., Suite 100.

• Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson,

4909 N. La Cañada Drive.

Business growth

(Businesses that are unique and successful in the way they are handling growth or change in today’s marketplace.)

• AGM Container Controls Inc.,

3526 E. Fort Lowell Road.

• Andrew Rosen Orthodontics,

1865 N. Kolb Road.

• Barker Morrissey Contracting Inc.,

3619 E. Speedway.

• Blue Sierra Inc.,

3234 N. Palo Verde Ave.

• Catalina Pointe Arthritis, 5501 N. Oracle Road, Suite 161.

• Citron Paint,

7041 E. Tanque Verde Road.

• Glaz-Tech Industries,

2207 E. Elvira Road.

• Heinfeld, Meech & Co., 10120 N. Oracle Road.

• McCaleb Construction Inc.,

6565 E. Grant Road.

• Mirage Plastering,

1802 W. Grant Road, Suite 114.

• Pace Technologies,

3601 E. 34th St.

• The Metal Man,

1552 S. Euclid Ave.

• Scientific Technologies Corp., 4400 E. Broadway, Suite 705.

• Wild West Wings LLC Wingstop,

6096 N. Benjamin Place.

Community service

(Businesses investing in the community through volunteerism, in-kind or cash contributions or support of non-profit organizations.)

• Beach, Fleischman & Co., 1985 E. River Road, Suite 201.

• Bon Voyage Travel,

1640 E. River Road, Suite 115.

• Commotion Studios LLC,

7458 N. La Cholla Blvd., Suite 200.

• Film Creations Ltd., 2021 E. Broadway.

• Mesch, Clark & Rothschild,

259 N. Meyer Ave.

• Old Pueblo Anesthesia, 5700 E. Pima St., Suite E.

• Robin Stancliff Photography,

3441 N. Calle de Beso.

• Strongpoint LLC,

48 N. Tucson Blvd.

• Western Sky Communications,

415 E. Seneca St.

Small business leader of the year

(Honoring exceptional leadership by a manager or owner who is active in the day-to-day activities of his or her company.)

• Julie Davey and Linda Fahey of Dark Horse Media, 4441 E. Fifth St.

• Todd Hanley of Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St.

• Christopher Litten of BodyBasics, 7355 N. Oracle Road, Suite 111.

• Gus Montiel of MDC Mobile Detailing Concepts, 1952 W. Tourney Road.

• Marylee Pangman of the Contained Gardener, 6152 E. 22nd St.

"Finalists for the Wells Fargo Copper Cactus Awards are considered the ‘best of the best’ among locally owned small businesses," said Larry Finuf, regional president for Wells Fargo Community Banking in Tucson and Greater Arizona. "The awards focus on the importance of small businesses in our Southern Arizona economy and the high caliber of our local business owners."

The awards dinner Oct. 2 will be emceed by morning radio personality Bobby Rich of Mix-FM KMXZ 94.9-FM and KOLD 13’s chief meteorologist Chuck George. The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and the awards starting at 6 p.m.

Tickets for the event are available online at www.coppercactusawards.com/. They cost $65 each, with tables of 10 for $650. New this year, nominees will be able to buy whole tables so their team can sit together.

Judges for this year’s awards were Dorothy Finley, chairman and CEO of Finley Distributing Company Inc.; Sharon B. Foltz, community relations director for Tucson Electric Power Company; Sherry Hoskinson, director of the Chris and Carol McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management; Joe Snell, president and CEO of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc.; Mark Irvin, managing member of Mark Irvin Commercial Real Estate Services; and Jonathan Walker, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau.