The Waterbury Regional Chamber recently named three business leaders as recipients of the 2023 Harold Webster Smith Awards, which recognize smaller companies and their executives who have achieved excellence.
The winners will be honored during an awards breakfast in October.
The Entrepreneur of the Year is Maria Bruscino Sanchez, baker and owner of Sweet Maria’s Inc.
Sanchez started the Waterbury-based bakery with 1,800 square feet of space in 1990. Within nine years, she moved to a new location and doubled its size, employing 12 full-time employees and seasonal help.
She published her first cookbook, “Sweet Maria’s Italian Cookie Tray,” in 1995 and has published several other baking books.
The Small Business of the Year is Prospect Memorial Funeral Home, which recently expanded with the construction of a new, 10,000-square-foot facility in Prospect on Waterbury Road. Owners Kim and Mike Palmerie opened the business in 2013.
The Manufacturer of the Year is UniMetal Surface Finishing LLC, which is headquartered in Thomaston and has about 130 employees. The business recently won an award at a surface-finishing industry trade show in Cleveland.
The Waterbury Regional Chamber will present the 2023 Harold Webster Smith Awards from 7:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 24 at Aria Wedding and Banquet Facility, 45 Murphy Road in Prospect. The keynote is State Treasurer Erick Russell.
The awards are named after Harold Webster Smith, who founded First Federal Savings of Waterbury in 1935. He served as CEO until 1937, and as chairman of the board until 1995, when First Federal was renamed Webster Bank in his honor.
For more information, visit www.waterburychamber.com or call 203-757-0701.
